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Microelectronics and the Personal Computer

Profile image of cemil alancemil alan

1977, Scientific American

Abstract

At the outset, we decided to admit that the design of a truly useful dynamic medium for everyday use was a hard but extremely worthwhile problem which would require both many years and several complete interim hardware/software systems to be designed, built, and tested. Approach: 1. Conceptualize a "Holy Grail" version of what the eventual Dynabook should be like in the future, This image will provide a rallying point and goal which will remind us of what we are trying to do while the sometimes grubby spadework of producing intermediate systems is in progress. An extrapolation (and compression) of the FLEX hIachine[4]. 2. Do the research in human factors, psychology of perception, physics, and language design which is prerequisite to any serious attempt at an interim system. Very few displays have been designed using any knowledge of the human visual system nor have many artificial languages been developed on non-Indo European models. An overview of what the Dynabook should be like, including display needs and principles for language design, are found inC4]. 3. Design an interim version of the Dynabook, and build a considerable number of them. We felt that this step and the next one are the critical ones in our research. We had to get to the kids and adults as quickly as possible so as not to be led astray by our own assumptions and hopes. 4. Make the medium of communication as simple and powerful as possible. It should be qualitatively sirnpler and qualitatively more powerful than (say) LOGO. It should be qualitatively more expressive than the best state-of-the-art "grown-up" programming language for serious system design. It should be as "neutral" as possible to all conceivable simulations. 5. Explore the usefulness of such a system with a large number of short range projects involving many users, ages 4 to 60, from vurying backgrounds, and with different needs and goals. This phase would involve developing all manner of simulated media, both old and new; finding ways to teach the ideas in the system; do user studies, experiment with peer-group teaching (e.g. 13 year olds teaching 12 year olds), and so on. Some of the projects we have undertaken arc explored in [6,7,8].

Figures (26)
The first attempt at designing this kind of higher-level personal metamedium was the — development of the FLEX Machine in 1967-69[1,2,3]. Much of the hardware and software was successful from the standpoint of computer science state-of-the-art research but, as is so often the case, lacked sufficient expressive power to be truly useful to an ordinary user. At that time started to appear Papert and Feurzeig's[9,10,11}] pioneering work having to do with helping kids learn how to think by giving them an environment in which thinking is both fun and rewarding.
The first attempt at designing this kind of higher-level personal metamedium was the — development of the FLEX Machine in 1967-69[1,2,3]. Much of the hardware and software was successful from the standpoint of computer science state-of-the-art research but, as is so often the case, lacked sufficient expressive power to be truly useful to an ordinary user. At that time started to appear Papert and Feurzeig's[9,10,11}] pioneering work having to do with helping kids learn how to think by giving them an environment in which thinking is both fun and rewarding.
Chord Keyboard on Left, Mouse on Right
Chord Keyboard on Left, Mouse on Right
High Resolution B and W Display Visual output is through the display, auditory output is obtained from a built in digital-to-analog converter connected to a standard hi-fi amplifier and speakers.
High Resolution B and W Display Visual output is through the display, auditory output is obtained from a built in digital-to-analog converter connected to a standard hi-fi amplifier and speakers.
A Choreography/Badminton System This was the first indication to us that the’building blocks of Smalltalk actually were more powerfu and easier to use for the naive programmer than the more conventional ‘noun/verb' (‘data structure/function') primitive ideas of most current programming systems.
A Choreography/Badminton System This was the first indication to us that the’building blocks of Smalltalk actually were more powerfu and easier to use for the naive programmer than the more conventional ‘noun/verb' (‘data structure/function') primitive ideas of most current programming systems.
This child next designed a class of dancers which could be controlled singly and together, then choreographed them into a variety of dances. Next, she designed a ‘marionette’ class which had wrist elbow, shoulder, ankle, knee, and hip joints. Two of these more sophisticated figures are used for her real-time badminton simulation.
This child next designed a class of dancers which could be controlled singly and together, then choreographed them into a variety of dances. Next, she designed a ‘marionette’ class which had wrist elbow, shoulder, ankle, knee, and hip joints. Two of these more sophisticated figures are used for her real-time badminton simulation.
This is one of the most complex systems done by one of our children. The graphic objects can be located, rotated, scaled, can have any number of sides, are any color which the system can produce, and the entire system is controlled by prompting menus. Note also the ‘light buttons’ on the objects which are sites for ‘grabbing’ and moving and object with the mouse.
This is one of the most complex systems done by one of our children. The graphic objects can be located, rotated, scaled, can have any number of sides, are any color which the system can produce, and the entire system is controlled by prompting menus. Note also the ‘light buttons’ on the objects which are sites for ‘grabbing’ and moving and object with the mouse.
s This rather complex system uses an actual flight model which the student found in an introductory book on aeronautics. The artificial horizon is at the top of the panel with the degrees-of-bank over it The ‘stick’, pedals, and throttle can all be grabbed by the mouse. The sequence shows the plane ina slow roll which is then corrected by manipulating the stick.
s This rather complex system uses an actual flight model which the student found in an introductory book on aeronautics. The artificial horizon is at the top of the panel with the degrees-of-bank over it The ‘stick’, pedals, and throttle can all be grabbed by the mouse. The sequence shows the plane ina slow roll which is then corrected by manipulating the stick.
A powerful idea (borrowed from LOGO) is that the turtle is coordinate free, in that going and turning are completely relative to the turtie’s current state. The turtle thus lives in curveworld. A straight line has O-curvature, a circle has constant-curvature, linearly changing curvature generates beautiful smooth curves. This may be contrasted with the cartesian world in which 0 generates 0, a ramp generates a line, and a quadratic is required for circles and simple curves.
A powerful idea (borrowed from LOGO) is that the turtle is coordinate free, in that going and turning are completely relative to the turtie’s current state. The turtle thus lives in curveworld. A straight line has O-curvature, a circle has constant-curvature, linearly changing curvature generates beautiful smooth curves. This may be contrasted with the cartesian world in which 0 generates 0, a ramp generates a line, and a quadratic is required for circles and simple curves.
Several professional animators visited us with a long-held dream for a 'magic-slate’ which would allow them to create high-quality animations by simple (and literally) “waving their hands”. They wanted to paint pictures into an already running animation in order to take maximum advantage of the ‘phi’ effect (which causes the main action of animation to be the change between frames).
Several professional animators visited us with a long-held dream for a 'magic-slate’ which would allow them to create high-quality animations by simple (and literally) “waving their hands”. They wanted to paint pictures into an already running animation in order to take maximum advantage of the ‘phi’ effect (which causes the main action of animation to be the change between frames).
An instance of a timbre class showing the amplitude change and spectral change (dotted lines) over several seconds of time. The area between the vertical lines will be repeated until the note ceases. We use several methods for real-time production of high-quality timbres; both allow arbitrary transients, many independent parallel voices, and are completely produced by programs: no special hardware is used. The most interesting of these was developed [19,20] and allows independent dynami control of the spectrum, the frequency, the amplitude, and the particular collection of partials which will be heard.
An instance of a timbre class showing the amplitude change and spectral change (dotted lines) over several seconds of time. The area between the vertical lines will be repeated until the note ceases. We use several methods for real-time production of high-quality timbres; both allow arbitrary transients, many independent parallel voices, and are completely produced by programs: no special hardware is used. The most interesting of these was developed [19,20] and allows independent dynami control of the spectrum, the frequency, the amplitude, and the particular collection of partials which will be heard.
We reach in and grab the spectrum control. We want it to ‘bump' in the beginning, and then gradually increase.
We reach in and grab the spectrum control. We want it to ‘bump' in the beginning, and then gradually increase.
Now the ratio of modulation is changed to emphasize only the odd harmonics: producing a ‘clarinet’
Now the ratio of modulation is changed to emphasize only the odd harmonics: producing a ‘clarinet’
These systems have a number of benefits for both children and adults:
These systems have a number of benefits for both children and adults:
To define a class description, we use the notion of a dictionary containing entries, each one of which is a detector and replier for a particular message. A class description is thus just one of the many kinds of documents handled by the information system described previously.
To define a class description, we use the notion of a dictionary containing entries, each one of which is a detector and replier for a particular message. A class description is thus just one of the many kinds of documents handled by the information system described previously.
show box Now we get the children to ‘guess' what the general description of the class ‘box’ might look like. They have secn five example transactions: make-a-new-one, grow, turn, draw, undraw, each invokes a different set of actions. Since we have been using the word ‘message’ it is not difficult for th children to ‘guess’ that there will be at least five sections to ‘box’, each dealing with a particular action. The idea of ‘looking’ at the message to see what's there is introduced. Finally, we ask them to type:
show box Now we get the children to ‘guess' what the general description of the class ‘box’ might look like. They have secn five example transactions: make-a-new-one, grow, turn, draw, undraw, each invokes a different set of actions. Since we have been using the word ‘message’ it is not difficult for th children to ‘guess’ that there will be at least five sections to ‘box’, each dealing with a particular action. The idea of ‘looking’ at the message to see what's there is introduced. Finally, we ask them to type:

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References (20)

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