Ted Nelson & Xanadu

The Visionary

Ted Nelson originally invented the word "hypertext" to describe a system of non-sequential writing. This long-standing interest evolved into Project Xanadu. While the Xanadu Operating Company was acquired by Autodesk, the core project continues to explore the boundaries of hypermedia.

Literary Machines

In his seminal work, "Literary Machines," Nelson attempts to translate his complex hypertext thoughts onto paper. He publishes this himself through Mindful Press. (Note: I have a copy of LM 90.1 —TBL).

"Literary Machines" is essential reading as background for the enthusiasm and ideas that drive modern hypertext systems.

The text also includes the full text of Vannevar Bush's 1945 article, "As We May Think," which proposed the "MEMEX" (memory extension)—a mechanical device designed to augment human memory through automation.

Core Concepts

Project Xanadu introduced several revolutionary concepts that predate modern web protocols:

• Unique Addressing: A system for generating unique names for new documents so they can always be located across the multiverse.
• Transclusion: The ability to include parts of one document in another without copying, ensuring authorship remains intact.
• Royalty Attribution: A complex plan to automatically attribute royalties to an author whenever their work is retrieved across the network.