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From: viking@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: The Genesis of Hypertext
Message-ID: <79800003@iuvax>
Date: Thu, 5-Nov-87 03:01:00 EST
Article-I.D.: iuvax.79800003
Posted: Thu Nov  5 03:01:00 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Nov-87 19:32:16 EST
References: <4270@iuvax.UUCP>
Organization: Indiana University CSCI, Bloomington
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Nf-ID: #R:iuvax.UUCP:-427000:iuvax:79800003:000:2455
Nf-From: iuvax.cs.indiana.edu!viking    Nov  5 03:01:00 1987


At 3:47 pm on Nov  3, 1987, munck@linus writes:

> I was tangentially involved in the implementation of
> the first Hypertext by Andy van Dam and his students at Brown in the
> late 1960's.

Is this the work that led up to the development of "Intermedia"?  The folks
from Brown came to visit us at Indiana University and showed this "true
hypertext" system running on an IBM RT with Mac-based software tools.  The
current implementation of "Intermedia" is being ported to the Mac II and will
run under A/UX.

> On the other hand, wasn't it Bush who
> predicted that man would NEVER orbit the earth or land on the moon,
> or do something else that has since been done?

You have to give Bush credit for his ideas.  The idea of associatively
indexing and linking information is a powerful concept.  His work is seen
as one of the first developments in the field of Information Science.  You
shouldn't imply that Bush wasn't a "real visionary", just because he failed
to predict the course of events in other scientific disciplines.

Remember that he also missed the board in terms of believing that mircofilm
media would help implement his vision, instead of computers and electronic
communications.  This doesn't make the *ideas* any less "visionary".

> For a real visionary
> in this area, who actually accomplished something, may I nominate
> Doug Englebart?

He was mentioned, but not featured, by the folks from Brown.  I'd like to
know more about him.  Can re recommend a good reference?  Thanks.

*****
***  Where's my 'memex', now that I really need one?!  :-)
*****

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