Friday, February 27, 2015

Alan Kay: software: Architecture Cathedrals vs Pile Pyramids; Flow

Alan Kay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alan Kay - Wikiquote
  • "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
  • "Point of view is worth 80 IQ points."
  • "Technology is anything that wasn't around when you were born."
  • "Actually I made up the term "object-oriented", and I can tell you I did not have C++ in mind."


"Every object could have its own URL or IP address"
"Semantic Interoperability" will lead to "universal interface language"

Pyramids and cathedrals - Invisible to the eye
 Alan Kay"Most software today is very much like an Egyptian pyramid with millions of bricks piled on top of each other, with no structural integrity, but just done by brute force and thousands of slaves.
... we were really trying to do pyramids, not gothic cathedrals. 
That, in fact accounts for much of the structure of modern operating systems today
...
Or, you can come up with a new concept, which the people who started getting interested in complex structures many years ago did. They called it architecture. Literally, the designing and building of successful arches. A non-obvious, a non-linear interaction between simple materials to give you non-obvious synergies..."

Arch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alan Kay Demos GRaIL - YouTube

An Interview with Computing Pioneer Alan Kay - YouTube (2013)

Alan Key, Turing Award Lecture - YouTube

"Instrumental reasoning" (most people care what contributes to their current goals)
vs. "interest in ideas" (about 5% of people, motivated by ideas, transform their goals)
Another contrast on reward: "inner motivated" (15%) vs. "outer motivated" (85%) people.
Because of this, it takes a long time from introducing new idea and accepting it.

Most of complexity is absolutely unnecessary. 
Most successful projects put effort in keeping things simple.

Object-oriented is about messages, not about objects so much.

Optimal state for learning is "Flow", between being bored and being anxious.
The way to make "flow" area wider is to reduce "anxious" and "bored" areas.
Less anxious, by making it safer to try things, i.e. by introducing "undo".
Less boring, by making it more "attractive / interesting", i.e GUI. 

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Viewpoints Research Institute - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



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