The Desktop

One of Johnson’s main focuses in his comparison of interfaces and architecture is the use of chat rooms and people interaction. He states that chat rooms should create actual environments as if one was sitting in a living room, relaxed on a couch, enjoying a conversation with a friend. Video games have achieved this type of three-dimensional space and Johnson hopes they will be inspiration to replace lines of text common in most chat spaces. I feel web cams have already succeeded in this area, but I could see how a virtual world may be more comfortable for bringing “strangers closer together” as Johnson describes. Maybe people in chat rooms like the secretive characteristics of not knowing the exact physical identity of those on the other side.

In comparison to Fuller’s article, I feel Johnson does a much better job at communicating to a broader audience. His metaphors are much easier to grasp and much more applicable to the average person. Johnson focuses more on humans interacting through the Internet while Fuller elaborates more on the users interaction with the computer. For example, both discuss video games, but Johnson is intrigued by the way the player can interact with other players in a virtual environment while Fuller elaborates on how the player can change the outcome of the game in the way he interacts with the interfaces and non-player characters.