Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] - Page 2

SionEwig · 08-31-2015, 04:22 PM

How about using the word Lace?

German - spitze
Spanish - encaje
Portuguese - renda
Italian - pizzo
French - dentelle

Or naming it after one of the towns that is famous for producing lace like Chantilly.

Ashtagon · 08-31-2015, 04:27 PM

The TORG RPG's cyberpapacy setting had the GodNet. In Tharkold (another subsetting), it was called The Grid.

D&D's Forgotten Realms has The Weave as the background on which magic works, but the word could just as easily be applied to a technological cyberspace (Shade's of Shikaku-Mon's Tapestry here).

d20 Modern's Future supplement has the HI-Net and VR-Net.

I take it everyone is aware of The Matrix? Good.

Given the latest buzzwords, we might soon be talking of The Cloud. In some circles, people talk about Servers; that could have taken off and become the mainstream way of talking about things had the Internet developed a bit differently.

Since the OP asked about Japanese, it may be worth noting that "mackerel" (or "saba" in Japanese) is an actual slang term for a server. You could conceivably extend the fish analogy further, and call the internet the Ocean.

malloyd · 08-31-2015, 04:37 PM

Network has several hundred years of use for communications systems, running back to things like roads and canals.

I suspect system, map, post, market, square and library, or synonyms thereof, are the most plausible alternate name roots for a computer network, somewhat slanted depending on what it's earliest major use is.

Though a service provider name could make sense too. Bell System wasn't uncommon in the US to refer to the entire telephone network after all.

Arith Winterfell · 08-31-2015, 04:57 PM

In a anime series (called Serial Experiments Lain) I'm watching right now they're exploring idea of the interface between consciousness and the internet which they call "The Wired".

So 'The Wired" could be an interesting alternate name for the internet.

Other ideas are perhaps "The Stream" as in streaming data and information.

Other ideas could be in a setting where Artificial Intelligence is more involved in the collective functioning of the internet it could be called something related to intelligence, such as "The Cognizant" or "The Cognition", or simply "The Mind".

It some ways it really depends on what the Internet has come to mean to the people of that world.

Is it just a compilation of knowledge "The Library"
Or a center for social media or connection between people, "The Space" or "The club" or some other meeting place.
Or is it some kind of emergent intelligence working with the people of that world "The Higher Mind," "The Intelligence," or even something like "Deus".

PTTG · 08-31-2015, 05:02 PM

Radically different names may emerge from a different metaphor for the operating principle. For instance, if it's basically seen in the way some early '90s approaches took it, as a collection of personal websites, it could be the namebase, the cardset, or perhaps the face... um... book.

If it's an explicit virtual world (although why you'd use that system is left to the reader), it might still be called cyberspace. One would say "I visited GURPS bunker north of Cyber New York. Took me twenty minutes to make it there..."

If it's seen as a collection of published works, then it is easy to see it as a collaborative library, or even a set of libraries. If corporate hosts imprint more of their branding on individual sites, then you might even refer to the host in particular- "Oh, I took a look at the GURPS fan magazine in the ENOM library."

weby · 08-31-2015, 05:06 PM

On further though, maybe it is not the net that they focus on but the contents.

If so then names with prefixes indicating information like "info-" "data-" "knowledge-" and similar with prefixes indicating place/location like "-place" "-store" "-sea" "-oasis" or whatever.

hmm.. dataocean?

robkelk · 08-31-2015, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

I seem to recall that, canonically, Shikaku-Mon uses "The Tapestry".

You beat me to it... Yes, that's the term Shikaku-Mon uses.

Bob Schroeck has taken to using "Tapestry" in a fiction series featuring a character from the game that was the basis for IST, so there's a chance it might show up in the 4e update for that setting as well. Maybe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by weby

...
hmm.. dataocean?

That certainly fits well with the "series of tubes" analogy.

David Johnston2 · 08-31-2015, 06:36 PM

17th precinct called their equivalent "The Stream".

scc · 08-31-2015, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landwalker

Anything "-scape" might also be reasonable (or, if we're going for German, "-schaft"). Infoscape / Infoschaft? Netzschaft? Stegschaft? Gitterschaft?

I also like "-bahn", as was mentioned above. Infobahn is solid. Databahn (or Datenbahn? I don't know how to German...), maybe. Wissebahn?

This has a LOT of potential, it implies both a method of moving information and a place where it is stored

jason taylor · 08-31-2015, 06:53 PM

Cybergora

from Cyberspace, and Agora.

Better yet, Pneumagora(spirit plus agora).

08-31-2015, 04:22 PM	#11
SionEwig Join Date: Sep 2010	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] How about using the word Lace? German - spitze Spanish - encaje Portuguese - renda Italian - pizzo French - dentelle Or naming it after one of the towns that is famous for producing lace like Chantilly.

08-31-2015, 04:27 PM	#12
Ashtagon Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: UK	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] The TORG RPG's cyberpapacy setting had the GodNet. In Tharkold (another subsetting), it was called The Grid. D&D's Forgotten Realms has The Weave as the background on which magic works, but the word could just as easily be applied to a technological cyberspace (Shade's of Shikaku-Mon's Tapestry here). d20 Modern's Future supplement has the HI-Net and VR-Net. I take it everyone is aware of The Matrix? Good. Given the latest buzzwords, we might soon be talking of The Cloud. In some circles, people talk about Servers; that could have taken off and become the mainstream way of talking about things had the Internet developed a bit differently. Since the OP asked about Japanese, it may be worth noting that "mackerel" (or "saba" in Japanese) is an actual slang term for a server. You could conceivably extend the fish analogy further, and call the internet the Ocean.

08-31-2015, 04:37 PM	#13
malloyd Join Date: Jun 2006	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] Network has several hundred years of use for communications systems, running back to things like roads and canals. I suspect system, map, post, market, square and library, or synonyms thereof, are the most plausible alternate name roots for a computer network, somewhat slanted depending on what it's earliest major use is. Though a service provider name could make sense too. Bell System wasn't uncommon in the US to refer to the entire telephone network after all. __________________ -- MA Lloyd

08-31-2015, 04:57 PM	#14
Arith Winterfell Join Date: May 2014 Location: Indiana, United States	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] In a anime series (called Serial Experiments Lain) I'm watching right now they're exploring idea of the interface between consciousness and the internet which they call "The Wired". So 'The Wired" could be an interesting alternate name for the internet. Other ideas are perhaps "The Stream" as in streaming data and information. Other ideas could be in a setting where Artificial Intelligence is more involved in the collective functioning of the internet it could be called something related to intelligence, such as "The Cognizant" or "The Cognition", or simply "The Mind". It some ways it really depends on what the Internet has come to mean to the people of that world. Is it just a compilation of knowledge "The Library" Or a center for social media or connection between people, "The Space" or "The club" or some other meeting place. Or is it some kind of emergent intelligence working with the people of that world "The Higher Mind," "The Intelligence," or even something like "Deus".

08-31-2015, 05:02 PM	#15
PTTG Join Date: Feb 2011	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] Radically different names may emerge from a different metaphor for the operating principle. For instance, if it's basically seen in the way some early '90s approaches took it, as a collection of personal websites, it could be the namebase, the cardset, or perhaps the face... um... book. If it's an explicit virtual world (although why you'd use that system is left to the reader), it might still be called cyberspace. One would say "I visited GURPS bunker north of Cyber New York. Took me twenty minutes to make it there..." If it's seen as a collection of published works, then it is easy to see it as a collaborative library, or even a set of libraries. If corporate hosts imprint more of their branding on individual sites, then you might even refer to the host in particular- "Oh, I took a look at the GURPS fan magazine in the ENOM library."

08-31-2015, 05:06 PM	#16
weby Join Date: Oct 2008	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] On further though, maybe it is not the net that they focus on but the contents. If so then names with prefixes indicating information like "info-" "data-" "knowledge-" and similar with prefixes indicating place/location like "-place" "-store" "-sea" "-oasis" or whatever. hmm.. dataocean? __________________ -- GURPS spaceship unofficial errata and thoughts: https://gsuc.roto.nu/

08-31-2015, 06:36 PM	#18
David Johnston2 Join Date: Dec 2007	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] 17th precinct called their equivalent "The Stream".

08-31-2015, 06:53 PM	#20
jason taylor Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Portland, Oregon	Re: Alternate Names for the Internet [IW] Cybergora from Cyberspace, and Agora. Better yet, Pneumagora(spirit plus agora). __________________ "The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison Last edited by jason taylor; 08-31-2015 at 06:59 PM.