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[Design] Please don't reinvent (or forget about) the wheel!Aaron Mon, 21 Oct 2002 13:16:04 -0600 (MDT)
On Mon, 21 Oct 2002, FooteWorks wrote: > Please don't reinvent (or forget about) the wheel! > > The following three products--two from the distant past--have set many > design precedents that should not be forgotten. Speaking of design precedents, I was very pleased to see mention of Vannevar Bush in the OSA mission statement. I encourage everyone to read (or re-read, I do once every couple of years) his 1945 article in the Atlantic Monthly: http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/computer/tech.htm Bush's article: http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/computer/bushf.htm and a "followup" article from 1964: http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/computer/greenbf.htm Bush's Memex is arguably the mother of all wheels, even if it was never specifically implemented. I'm amazed at the coherent set of principles and features he was able to describe, without so much as an existence proof to draw on. If you think no one in 1945 could have anything relevant to say about today's technology, you'll be jaw-droppingly shocked. -- Aaron aaron@justaaron.com aaron@acm.org
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