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To: <info@cinox.demon.co.uk>
Hi Tim,
Sorry for replying out of order.
>>I have had a look at Xanadu and PADS. They both seem interesting.
>
>I thought you would find them interesting. They are both highly
>ramified, complex conventional attempts to do what you are doing with
>Webneurons in a much more simple way. The reason I wanted you to have a
>look at them is that there may be some ideas there and some things to
>avoid.
Would you mind acting as a consultant on this, and pick out the bits you think
are relevant? It's too new to me, and too much material for me to cover properly.
>>PADS seems more promising, 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).
>Yes I had noticed this. I think it is a cultural thing. Tanaka has
>obviously developed a style which mirrors back to the western scientists
>who evaluate his work a very elaborate theoretical mode of discourse.
>The basic merit of pads is their simplicity.
Can we get a demo system?
>>Also in pads I don't really see a real programming language. Maybe I
>>missed this?
>I don't know. Is it held together with scripts or is it smalltalk?
A demo might also help on this point.
>>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.
>Linux!
Linux because we can get at the source code. We may want to adjust/rewrite the
OS at a later date. Plus it's not Microsoft. However, Windows 95 should be covered
too.
A suggestion just in for writing a custom browser:
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Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 13:24:36 +0100 (BST)
To: john@brain.eu.org (John Middlemas)
Subject: Re: Your ideas and my thoughts
References: <199607081207.NAA26969@power1.powernet.co.uk>
From: Rubber.Buccaneer@Galactic.Headquarters.ac.uk
Reply-to: rap@maths.soton.ac.uk
Organization: Galactic Headquarters for Space Cadets
X-URL: http://www.maths.soton.ac.uk/rap/HomePage.html
X-UIDL: 836831388.000
Regarding your browser problem, may I be so bold as to suggest that you
use the GNU emacs browser, as the source code is free. I am sure that someone
in the GNU community could write an extension if you are unfamiliar with
lisp, and then you would be able to demonstrate your webneurons, unless of
course you are planning on working inline images into them. I am not so sure
about the licensing side of Netscape, although it did come (essentially) from
an academic background.....
Ta ta fa noo,
The Rubber Buccaneer a.k.a. rap@maths.soton.ac.uk
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What do you think about the best development platform?
>>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.
>
>I would be happy to cause some braincell networking. Of course you would
>need to specify the issues clearly. We need a pilot, target project that
>wets peoples appetites, is achievable quickly and puts webnuerons on
>the agenda.
This is a difficult one. The truth I believe, is that the whole of computing
needs rewriting from the bottom up. This may be impractical (understatement).
Your plan is good I think, but I can't guess for sure what the pilot should be.
To amend the GNU Emacs browser is a quick entry point and we could start
webneurons as originally intended using HTML extensions. This could make a
spectacular and rapid
impact on the Web which fulfills some of your requirements above.
Maybe the target project should be to extend the Emacs browser to provide a basic
webneuron ability. It's a bit of a vague target and it may not be achievable as
fast as you want. I don't know.
The CGI Email webpage editor is not really webneuron, but is a more specific pilot.
Perhaps we could go for Webmail using Emacs, as the pilot. But both the sender and
receiving server (where the target page was) would have to be running our extended
Emacs browser. As far as I know, servers do not use browsers for control so this is a
problem.
What would you recommend?
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