The Longest-Running Vaporware Project in the History of Computing
5 hours ago
- #Tech Journalism
- #Project Xanadu
- #Ted Nelson
- Ted Nelson, born in 1937, coined the terms 'hypertext' and 'hypermedia' in 1965.
- He authored the influential book 'Computer Lib/Dream Machines' in 1974, a foundational text in personal computing.
- Nelson is known for his eccentric personality, including his ADHD philosophy and unique lifestyle.
- In 1960, he founded Project Xanadu, a universal hypertext library aimed at connecting all human knowledge.
- Xanadu featured advanced concepts like two-way links, transclusion, built-in micropayments, and version tracking.
- The project criticized the World Wide Web for its one-way, often broken links, and remains unfinished, making it a notable vaporware in computing history.