Cars could be driven by computers in
the future, but right now, similarities between the two are driving
an old-timer crazy…
AD: Hey, what’s up? You seem lost…
BC: A friend of mine bought a Mini
hardly a year ago – and an updated version is already out...
AD: But the Mini is such an old car
from the British Motor Corporation – what do you mean updated?
BC: I was referring to the Mac Mini, a
desktop from Apple! I'm surprised that you know about old cars.
AD: And I'm shocked that you know about
the Mac Mini!
BC: Very funny! But what's funnier is
that one can confuse a car with a computer...
AD: Why not? They have quite a few
things in common...
BC: Like what?
AD: Well, both can give you hell if
they break down – you're left stranded and…
BC: …both need expert service
engineers, else you are doomed.
AD: Right on! And both work well until
they're opened – once opened, both cars and computers will have
frequent problems…
BC: Absolutely!
AD: It's not just with service and
maintenance, cars and computers have similarities even in their
names...
BC: Really?
AD: Have you heard of the Meteor?
BC: Sure, the Ford Meteor...
AD: Ah, I was referring to the HCL
Meteor, a Unix server, and not to the sedan from Ford. Incidentally,
there was also a Mercury Meteor, from the Lincoln Mercury division of
Ford.
BC: Guess people were always curious
about rocks from outer space...
AD: And what does Vista remind you of?
BC: Windows Vista, of course! Wait, and
the Indica Vista, from Tata Motors…
AD: That’s not all! The late 70s had
Vista Cruiser, a station wagon from Oldsmobile. Then there was the
Toyota Vista…
BC: Vista means view, doesn’t it?
Whew, what a crowded view it’s getting to be…
AD: Are you familiar with the Vectra?
BC: The Hewlett-Packard Vectra series
of desktop computers?
AD: No, the Opel Vectra, a large family
car…
BC: Why couldn't people just explore
newer avenues for names?
AD: They did – and came up with the
name Explorer. Microsoft’s browser, Internet Explorer, lets you
explore the web while Ford Explorer, an SUV, lets you explore the
world…
BC: And to think that an Explorer is
someone who does not follow the beaten path...
AD: Explorer reminds me of Safari…
BC: Tata Safari?
AD: And the Citroën Safari, a station
wagon.
BC: Hey, there was a Pontiac Safari
too, right?
AD: Right! There was also a mid-sized
van named GMC Safari from Chevrolet. And guess what Apple’s
graphical web browser is called?
BC: Safari?
AD: Absolutely! It was not just land
expeditions – even sea adventures generated enough competition.
BC: If you’re referring to the
Armada, I can think of the Mahindra Armada…
AD: Compaq’s range of notebook PCs is
also called Armada. So is Nissan’s SUV.
BC: Is this how elite names become
commonplace?
AD: Don’t know about that, but I can
tell you about 'elite' cars like the Lotus Elite and the Ford Elite.
Microsoft released the Xbox 360 Elite in 2007.
BC: Perhaps the similarities are
because both cars and computers have windows…
AD: Well, the similarities continue
even to computers that follow open systems and cars that are
open-topped… This is best summed up through a hoarding line for the
open-top BMW Forsdicks – ‘Our hardware runs better without
windows’.
