tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21332048.post5787746961603281361..comments2023-08-24T09:22:20.836-04:00Comments on Developing Upwards: Alternate Computer Science HistoryCalvin Spealmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161631946662126734noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21332048.post-78137784060487383272014-10-13T23:24:32.695-04:002014-10-13T23:24:32.695-04:00You might be interested in getting hold of Ted Nel...You might be interested in getting hold of Ted Nelson's "Literary Computers" to read the source for the fever dream of Project Xanadu. I found a copy at a local university library.<br /><br />It's interesting to look back at his 1993 pre-Internet vision of a hypertext future, but some parts are stupendously bad.<br /><br />He managed to predict the Internet cafe, ("Silverstands,") but in his vision they were a single licensed chain of franchised gatekeepers to the Xanadu network. He advocated for DRM schemes that triggered an independent royalty micro-payment from every viewer for every piece of quoted text in a document. Scary stuff.<br /><br />His "Silverstands" article includes a specification for the "perky" silver uniforms that the staff must wear, complete with a "changing variety of tasteful accessories." Which I suppose predicted "flair" six years before "Office Space."<br /><br />It is itself a piece of alternate computer science history that I'm quite relieved never came to fruition, despite its few good ideas.datagrokhttp://datagrok.orgnoreply@blogger.com