Alan Kay: Doing with Images Makes Symbols Pt 1 (1987)

Production Company: University Video Communications
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Keywords: Technology: Computers: History

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Reviewer: Arvid Rudling - - August 26, 2006
Subject: Back to the future

While most videos of this kind best serve as a humorous flashback: "look how big and primitive computers were back then", don't let the monochrome graphics fool you in this one!

Alan lines up a number of systems including Englebart's Sketchpad, the FlexMachine, the RAND tablet and Smalltalk, all of which were way ahead of their time and demonstrate some concepts not carried through even today. This is an entertaining (for the UI nut) and strong case for software & imagination being the bottleneck of current computing, and of Mr. Kay's mastery of user interfaces. Highly recommended!

Reviewer: Lexikon Svs - - May 17, 2005
Subject: A Great Teaching Aid:

This is an exceptional piece of computer history. I often use this video when teaching computer history or introduction to computing to my students of all ages. This video by Alan Kay includes a much earlier video of Doug Engelbart (1968)and his pioneering work in computing. Anyone teaching computer history or related subjects should view this, and may want to incorporate it into their courses. Alan Kay, and Doug Engelbart, are two of the heavyweights in computer development. This is an amazing video!

Reviewer: smag - - February 21, 2005
Subject: History of User Interface Design and PC

Speaking of a system developed in the 1970's Alan Kay says: "For the first time I felt like I was touching the information structures." You get the sense watching this video that you're connecting with the people who invented all of the various input devices, metaphors, UI widgets, interaction designs, that together make what we call a personal computer. Kay ends his review of UI's by Douglas Englebart, Ivan Sutherland, and others from the 60's and 70's with a discussion of how computers are changing from trains (mainframes) to cars (pc) to media. Very insightful and relevant stuff, here. Amazing that in some ways we have not come very far at all.