Computer Lib/ Dream Machines

The book Computer Lib/ Dream machines by Ted Nelson, was a revolutionary book about personal computers. You can say it’s actually two books because it is a collection of two separate books made into one. The first one, Dream Machines, covers the basics of computing for those new to computers. The other part, Computer Lib, is a prognostic description of what will happen in the near future with personal computers.

In the year of 1974, Nelson’s thinking was way before his time. Because of this, many shunned him. However, his writing was preparing people for the advent of a more advance personal computers. He worked on something that would be very similar to the internet and taught that the computer will be used even more for media than it was in his time. In 1974 less people interacted with computers than today.

Nelson mentions in his article the term fantics. It derives from the French word l’informatique. Fantics, also known as presentations, is the “the art and science of getting ideas across, both emotionally and cognitively.” This might not have happened too often in his day, but there has been an explosion of it in the present. From Power Points to the World Wide Web, fantics appear everywhere. In the past, those who would be more likely to know about fantics, such as movie makers and advertisers, did not. Now, they use fantics to their advantage. In today’s world, we have become such a visual culture; it’s strange to not see fantics in use.

I wonder if Nelson is happy with how much the computer world has changed today. He is probably glad common people are more likely to use the computer than in the past. His project Xanadu was reincarnated as the World Wide Web and that has become one of the most celebrated achievements of my lifetime. Maybe he is still predicting things further in in the future. I am excited with what the future of computers hold. Maybe it will change as drastically as it did from when this book was written to now.