PCLT first appeared around Feb 1994. Few people had heard of the Web, and the Netscape company had not yet been formed. Windows users did not have standard Internet support. PCLT was an experiment in the best use of this new technology.
In those days, the Internet was used by researchers to exchange technical information about computers and networks. There was no place for the ordinary person to break into the discussion and learn basic information. The Web provided the first Internet tool that could be directed to a wide audience of users, and PCLT content was targeted at those new users.
The experiment had a set of rules. Readers could not print out copies of the articles and pass them around. If you wanted someone else to read them, you had to help them get on the internet and install a Web browser. The first PCLT article ("Windows on the World") contained instructions to upgrade Windows 3.1 with Internet and Web support. Today, a Web browser comes preinstalled in every computer, or you can put one on top of your TV set. PCLT remains a good source of technical information for ordinary people, but the original experiment has become obsolete.
Automobile repair is an application of thermodynamics, chemistry, and the laws of motion. If the mechanic let this get in the way, it would take weeks to change the oil. Computers are explained in nanoseconds, megahertz, bus architectures, CCITT standards, and APIs. As a result, most users are scared to take the cover off their PC to change the battery. Just as the internal combustion engine was the driving force behind economic growth in the 1930's and 40's, so computers and networks are going to be the key factors in today's economy. A wider understanding of this technology will be necessary for the US economy to grow, for your business to succeed, and for you to keep your job.
The problem is not just the concepts that one has not understood. In ancient times, sailors drew maps of the part of the world they knew. Outside this area, they drew in imaginary sea monsters. It is the nature of humans to fear what they do not know or understand. Today, technology creates the imaginary monsters.
If you go to a dealership to buy a new car, some really sleazy people will offer a lot of high pressure claims that they have the best deal. But the mechanic in a roadside repair shop will not be judgmental about the difference between a Honda and a Cadillac. All cars need gas, oil, and an occasional fuel pump. The Internet is full of flames and advocates for specific systems, languages, and technological choices. PCLT will try to explain as many technologies fairly and honestly. Our objective is to provide the missing owner's manual for the thing you have, not to sell you something else. To accomplish this task, we must accept the judgment of the marketplace and document what people actually use.
PCLT is a personal project of the author. It is not an official function of Yale University.