Re:OpenXanadu
by georgia_peach on Monday July 25, 2022 @05:49AM
(#32222359)
Ted wrote a book ("Computer Lib/Dream Machines", 1974). He still sells it! Ted has known how computers work, in high detail, for longer than most of us have been alive.
Yes! That book was an important contribution in its day. I wrote an appreciation of it here a few years ago:
Hm, I have not read that book yet, but from what I gathered, it confirmed my view - that he has a generalist understanding of computers(and the sociological impact), but lack the details and don't know how to programm himself.
Re:OpenXanadu
by georgia_peach on Monday July 25, 2022 @09:02AM
(#32223678)
As someone who has read that book, & owns it, I can attest to the fact that Ted knows more about how computers work than most people who call themselves professional programmers (I know, I know, low bar..., but even so).
If this were a forum, instead of a plantation, I could post selections from it, and you could see for yourself.
My takeaway was, that it never went anywhere, because the chief architect is a non technical person, not understanding the technical limits, but having a great ego and therefore was very hard to work with.
I do admire the basic vision (minus royalty), but I think it would take a new, clean and clear approach of designing, to make it actual usable. The way it is, it looks to me like a very early proof of concept, which is not much after all of those years.