2

For newbies, those who have simply e-mailed or surfed the Web, the “community” of the Net is an odd sort of mysticism. How can anyone think of these pages full of advertisements and spinning icons as a community, or even as a space? To the sober newbie, this just sounds like hype high on java. [Source]

What does the last sentence mean? Is this an idiom? Is java meant coffee here, or does it refer to the software?

3
  • 4
    this just sounds like hype [from someone who is] high on java (seriously caffeinated coffee). Aug 16, 2018 at 15:58
  • 3
    It's a pun on both: the language as the medium of internet programming, and the drink as a stimulant. Hype you can look up; the author means that to those unfamiliar with the internet the notion that it is a "community" looks like unfounded enthusiasm. Aug 16, 2018 at 15:58
  • 2
    StoneyB, that sounds more like an answer than a comment.
    – sharur
    Aug 16, 2018 at 16:17

1 Answer 1

1

This is a pun; they mean it in both contexts. Java is a sort of hidden language of the web, mentioned offhandedly by developers but rarely seen by the common person. Hence the 'mystical' aspects. The 'spinning icons' comment references the jitters of an over-caffeinated individual. It makes the point that the both frenetic and opaque nature of the web doesn't lend itself to what a first-time user would normally consider a community.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .