Let’s begin by digging deeper into an example from the preface. Suppose you’re crafting an email, and the icon for the file is blue, rectangular, and in the center of the desktop. Does this mean that the file itself is blue, rectangular, and in the center of your computer? Of course not. The color of the icon is not the true color of the file. The shape and location of the icon are not the true shape and location of the file. Indeed, the file has no color or shape; and the location of its bits in the computer is irrelevant to the placement of its icon on the desktop.
