Xanad U


See:

Xanad U is the original Hyper Text system. It's far, far crazier and more amazing than anything your puny human mind can imagine!

Xanad U is the direct theoretical inspiration for the World Wide Web. In contrast to Xanad U, the web is distinctly functionally poor, but vastly easier to implement and deploy (hence its greater success; Worse Is Better?). Wiki is perhaps closer to Xanad U than the web; then again, perhaps it's not <http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?IsWikiXanadu>.

Matt Kazmierski <http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mattkaz/history/> indicates some deeper historical roots for Hyper Text, citing not only Vannevar Bush?'s well-known Mem Ex? concept, but HG Wells and ancient religious texts. Crazy name, crazy guy!

Ob SF:

"Douglas Adams wrote a 1990 BBC Television documentary called "Hyperland" starring himself, former "Doctor Who" Tom Baker, Ted Nelson? and many computer industry luminaries. The documentary discussed the Xanad U system and quoted '"Kubla Khan?'."

Truly, in one respect 'cyberspace' does function as a concentrated version on real space. The universe is a scary place governed by insane physics. As far as the internet is concerned, as above, so below, only more so. --WJR

Yes, I do wonder what might have become of the Douglas Adams 'Dirk Gently' canon if DNA had added the Internet to the equation - one suspects that the eponymous detective would have found even more evidence for the interconnectedness of all things if he'd discovered Google... --TL


Mon, 21 Oct 2002 13:55:54 GMT Front Page Recent Changes Message Of The Day