John's Emails	PADS and Xanadu
Read first...		Re: PADS and Xanadu
To: <info@cinox.demon.co.uk> Hi Tim, I have had a look at Xanadu and PADS. They both seem interesting. However, I feel that Xanadu is weighed down by security worries and "per page" royalties. There also seems to be no simple blueprint for the system. PADS seems more promisising, but concentrates on media. I think a complex topic like media should be attacked after the building blocks are correct. In webneurons you can store any data type you like. If you read the PADS page it seems way too complex, obscured in typical scientist's jargon and smokescreen (probably unintentionally). I believe the basic building blocks should be very simple structures like webneurons but super-rich in links. As I keep saying, it is the links that are important more than anything. That is why the WWW is what it is today, and why structured programming is a (relative) failure (it hasn't got proper links). Also in pads I don't really see a real programming language. Maybe I missed this? Meanwhile, if you still want to help, there is lots to do. I have a blueprint in assembler for a webneuron system. See the website "Pictures" section "Doing it in 32 bit assembler". This could be copied into any other (complete) computer language. HTML is not complete. Myself and Frank are heading towards developing it in C++ on Linux. That is, as soon as we can agree on the blueprint. At present Frank has ideas for using biological principles in the blueprint. I don't understand all this yet so we're working through it. You can join in the thread if you want. If you do want to help further both myself and Frank agree that your idea to involve a team is correct. I would rather get on with the programming and leave team management to you. We also think this is too big to be held up by any commercial pressures so intend to do it all in the "free Internet" spirit. However, I did have ideas for a commercial venture to start with. No doubt there will be financial spin-offs later if successful. I don't really care as long as I get something decent to program with. I wasted a lot of time with BASIC, FORTRAN, EXCEL, DBASE, WINDOWS etc already.