During a June vacation while catching up with some reading on the sands of a hot beach I read this article in CIO Magazine. It was one of those articles that, while interesting, didn’t register an immediate impression. As time has passed I’ve found myself reflecting on the article and using the basis of it to explain a different form of the Digital Divide.

Typically Digital Divide explains the technical division between society’s “haves” and “have-nots”. Great sums of money are spent trying to level the playing fields; Municipal Wi-Fi projects to provide free wireless Internet access, quests for the $100 laptop, and so forth.

Back to the CIO Mag article and a new angle on the Digital Divide - are you a Digital Immigrant (DI) or a Digital Native (DN)? If you’re over 30 you’re an Immigrant. You didn’t grow up with I-Pods instead of records, RSS feeds instead of newspapers or magazines… You use the technology, likely loving some of it while despising other parts of it. It’s your second language. Some master it, others stumble and retain a thick accent.

If you’re under 30 you’re a Native. You want more of it, don’t understand why DI’s start their day with a newspaper, print a map, or subscribe to magazines. The web has always existed and what the heck is a Bulletin Board service? And where did the phrase “roll up/down a window” in the car come from?

I’m not trying to outdo the CIO article or the quoted resources in it. Rather, this is just a thought on my mind and a place to refer those around me that wonder what I’m talking about when I refer to someone as a DN or DI. Read the article and maybe we’ll have a little more understanding and harmony between Immigrants and Natives.

I’ve resisted the blog movement long enough.  Though I hope we never see an end to the communities and friendships built in list mail services I have accepted the idea that some topics would be better in something other than an e-mail client.

I’m hoping to develope my blogs as a place between formal FAQs and overly casual e-mails.  I might even try to strike conversation by posting some of my knee-jerk reactions to what’s going on in the world of technology.

Now that beta 2 of IE8 has been released, be careful of installation orders.  In a nutshell, if you installed IE8 beta 1, then XP Service Pack 3, and then install beta 2, you will have to live with IE8.

If you think you will want to remove IE8 (which you may very well want to do considering it is beta and may not play nicely or work as a finished version would)  you will need to uninstall Service Pack 3, remove beta 1, reinstall SP3, then install beta 2.

IE 8 Beta 2 Release Notes

CRM Explains it