mandag, september 06, 2004

Datamaskinen og tanken

Charles Babbage og the Analytical Engine

Vannevar Bush og Memex maskinen.

Trailblazer, eller stifinner, Vannervar Bush's navn på en som går opp den akademiske veien gjennom et stort materiale.

Vannevar Bush var selv en "trailblazer", eller en gudfar.

Douglas Englebart ble inspirert av Vannevar Bush, og tanken om å forbedre det menneskelige intellektet:
By "augmenting human intellect" we mean increasing the capability of a man to approach a complex problem situation, to gain comprehension to suit his particular needs, and to derive solutions to problems. Increased capability in this respect is taken to mean a mixture of the following: more-rapid comprehension, better comprehension, the possibility of gaining a useful degree of comprehension in a situation that previously was too complex, speedier solutions, better solutions, and the possibility of finding solutions to problems that before seemed insoluble. And by "complex situations" we include the professional problems of diplomats, executives, social scientists, life scientists, physical scientists, attorneys, designers--whether the problem situation exists for twenty minutes or twenty years. We do not speak of isolated clever tricks that help in particular situations. We refer to a way of life in an integrated domain where hunches, cut-and-try, intangibles, and the human "feel for a situation" usefully co-exist with powerful concepts, streamlined terminology and notation, sophisticated methods, and high-powered electronic aids.


Ted Nelson og Xanadu: Ted Nelson er mannen bak begrepet hypertext. Nelsons drøm er uttrykt i Xanadu, software som legemliggjør den ultimate hyperteksten. Xanadu finnes knapt utenfor Nelsons drøm (så langt), men Nelson leter ennå.

Hva var Xhanadu før Nelson? XANADU: The Ballad of Kublai Khan