Splitting the tropes into a separate index: Magical Computer

The trope is listed as a Category of Applied Phlebotinum, which is understandable. However, Magical Computer itself also lists several Sub Tropes, most - if not all - of which definitely cannot be considered Applied Phlebotinum by any stretch of the definition. I propose splitting those tropes into a separate index (tentative name: Cyber Tropes).

Yep, looking over some of the subtropes listed there, it seems to me that Magical Computer is something like "Our Computers Are Different" or the media version of computers rather than being strictly Applied Phlebotinum. Actually, I think putting the hacking tropes onto another index might work too, but I am less sure about that.

edited 11th Sep '10 5:34:21 PM by LouieW

Honestly, I think all the computer tropes should be together. Just take the index off Applied Plebonium if they don't all fit.

^^ Then perhaps we should make an Our Computers Are Different Super-Trope, which lists both Magical Computer and Cyber Tropes; Magical Computer would be the Applied Phlebotinum form (and thus also a Sub-Trope of Applied Phlebotinum), while Cyber Tropes would list tropes that aren't strictly about computers per se, but are still about electronic/computer/information technology - like Cyberspace and hacking-related tropes.

^ I do not want to divide the computer tropes, either; I intended it to be something like how More than Meets the Eye is the index to all forms of Hidden Depths.

edited 11th Sep '10 6:01:25 PM by MarqFJA

I think the Our Different family was criticized before, and even though it has become "the" Fantastic Sapient Species Index theme name it may be unwise to let it spread outside that too much. I'd suggest a more imaginative name.

Do we actually need a supertrope? It seems to me that Magical Computer's doing the job for computer tropes, and we have The Internet for network tropes. (Like Cyberspace.)

I think we should have a Computing Tropes index with a soft split between tropes involving computing related technologies which are possible and You Fail Computer Science Forever tropes.

EDIT: We don't have You Fail Computer Science Forever yet?

edited 13th Sep '10 6:23:10 PM by Roxor

^ That seems a reasonable approach. Do note, however, that "computer science", to quote The Other Wiki, "is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes."

We definitely don't need any more "You Fail..." snoclones.

Magical computer is serving as a supertrope, and is itself a subtrope of phlebotinum. If an article doesn't fit the definition, it doesn't go on Magical Computer. Move those somewhere. Computing Trope could work.

edited 13th Sep '10 8:56:13 PM by FastEddie

If it's a Magical Computer, it automatically invokes phlebotinum. The only question really is if it's explicit or implicit phlebotinum.

Before we split this into separate indexes, maybe we ought to sort it under headers and see how many tropes would fall under a "Inversions/Subversions/Aversions" header because they don't involve a Magical Computer?

I think we should have a Computing Tropes index with a soft split between tropes involving computing related technologies which are possible and You Fail Computer Science Forever tropes.

I can't think of any tropes involving computer related technologies that are possible, except for a couple that are about people who use computers (Playful Hacker, Hacker Cave) and aren't related to how the computer functions.

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