As alan kay, a tech industry pioneer, once said, people who are really serious about software should make their own hardware. Hes currently working at the viewpoints research institute where theyre doing some classic parc style research of trying to do for software what moores law did for hardware. 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. Kay is a prominent codeveloper of the computer, focusing on its educational software using squeak and etoys. It was the eminentlyquotable computer scientist alan kay who said, people who are really serious about software should make their own hardware, krafcik said. Kay is perhaps best known for his dynabook concept a vision of a portable device combining hardware, software, and programming tools to offer the ultimate creative suite for children of all ages. A decent explanation by alan kay himself is available here wmv. Following are some profound quotes and thoughts by alan kay on storytelling, business, reality, computing, hardware and software.
Metaphors, magnetic fields, snobbery and slogans the best way to predict the future is to invent it. An operating system is a specialized collection of software that stands between a computers hardware architecture and its applications. As alan kay wrote, hardware is just software crystallized early. If were going to be able to create magical experiences with software, then the hardware will be the thing that people buy to go experience that, microsoft corporate vp of devices panos. Kay talks with wally feurzeig left and mark guzdial center at a national science foundation event in september 1995 in arlington, va. It is software that gives form and purpose to a programmable machine, much as a sculptor shapes clay omputers are to computing as in struments are to music. Computer scientists specialize in the scientific study of computation and computer technology, hardware and software. Why did alan kay choose rectangular shaped windowing as.
This microcode can implement new machine instructions, optimize particular. I dont want to turn this into a i hatelove apple discussion but i think thats what separated apple from msft. People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware. Similarly, the computers used to run the software on the ground for the mission were borrowed from a previous mission. Alan kay is widely known for the credo the best way to predict the future is to invent it. Quite a few people have to believe something is normal before it becomes normal a sort of voting situation. Visual experiential technology are in early stage our vision is to contribute by innovating in terms of hardwaresoftware. Microsoft will always invest in hardware, ceo says bloomberg. Hardware quotes quotes about hardware yourdictionary. 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. Note that my complaints here are not about isaacson being insufficiently deferential. The rope memory device shown here, a prototype created in 1963 by burroughs corp. Fantasy fulfills a need for a simpler, more controllable world. Isaacson includes that alan kay quote about serious software people making their own hardware, but doesnt seem to heed it, or to recognize that it perfectly describes steve jobss career and explains the phenomenal success of apples products.
On the alto, programmers have access to the microcodea user program can load new microcode into special control ram. Solve software problems with hardware test jigs real world interfaces. Alan curtis kay is an american computer scientist, who is responsible for developing some of the most important things in the evolution of computers like graphical user interface, smalltalk, dynabook and objectoriented programming. As one can accept from a tech great, kay has also been outspoken and expressed vocally his thoughts on a range of subjects that interests him over the course of his life. Steve jobs quoted alan kay with people who are really. First, one of the earliest if not the earliest example of a windowed display with general clipping was that of ivan sutherlands sketchpad ca 1962 which windowed a very large virtual display surfa. While it is becoming increasingly obvious that the fundamental architecture of a system has a profound influence on the quality of its human factors, the vast majority of human factors studies concern the surface of. Its a shame that todays systems only focus on minor details, but leave out the whole concept of usability. Inspiring quotes by alan kay for all the techlovers out there. Alan is a great person to talk to because of his huge experience in the computing field. Apple is betting that kays advice will remain relevant in the future. List of famous computer scientists with their biographies that include trivia, interesting facts, timeline and life history.
Quotations by alan kay, american scientist, born may 17, 1940. Kay has lectured extensively on the idea that the computer revolution is very new, and all of the good ideas have not been universally implemented. They ran one program at a time, which had command of all system resources, and a human operator would. Xerox parc legend alan kay says apple is dysfunctional. Steve jobs quoted alan kay with people who are really serious about software should make their own hardware. An excerpt from the 2007 launch of the iphone where steve jobs quotes alan kay on people who are really serious about software should make their own hardware, as. The best way to predict the future is to invent it alan kay people who are really serious about software should make their own hardware. The best way to predict the future is to invent it. But looked at with fresh eyes fully 35 years later, alan kays most quotable of quotes takes on new meaning. We carefully choose partners and investors, and the fact that our business is growing exponentially, and that we are constantly expanding, shows us. The kiddicomp concept, envisioned by alan kay in 1968 while a phd candidate, and later developed and described as the dynabook in his 1972 proposal a personal computer for children of all ages, outlines the requirements for a conceptual portable educational device that would offer similar functionality to that now supplied via a laptop computer or in some of its other incarnations a tablet. People who are really serious about software should make. Fast company is the worlds leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, and design.
Counting in binary is just like counting in decimal if you are all thumbs. Above all, however, kay is known for the dynabook his decadesold vision of a portable suite of hardware, software, programming tools and services which would add up to the ultimate creative environment for kids of all ages. Though mac os is available for most of the hardware devices, to use it to the fullest extent you need to have an apple product. Hardware design for software engineers grant likely 11 march 2016 embedded linux conference 2016 san diego, california people who are really serious about software should make their own hardware alan kay, creative think seminar, 1982. This is why at its core apple is a software company that makes specific hardware decisions in. People who are really serious about their hardware and. People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware alan kay. These machines were so out of date that bowman had to shop on ebay to find replacement parts to get the machines working. People who are really serious about their hardware and software should provide services. Alan lines up a number of systems including englebarts sketchpad, the flexmachine, the rand tablet and smalltalk, all of which were way ahead of.
Our team doesnt reflect only our desire to do business in a different, more relaxed way, but also represents our business philosophy. Alan kays talk at creative think seminar, july 20, 1982 outline of talk. Sharing is important were all communication junkies. Well, i have got two examples to support the statement given by alan kay. The first digital computers had no operating systems. People who are really serious about software should. In rope memory, bits of information are represented by threads of wire and tiny doughnutshaped magnetic cores. You know to us one of the key things i guess its alan kay who said if youre. Above all, however, kay is known for the dynabook his decadesold vision of a portable suite of hardware, software, programming tools and services which would add up to the ultimate creative.
Apple is doubling down on hardware in order to become the most powerful software provider in the wearables era. A little over 35 years ago, in an oftquoted talk at a seminar called creative think, alan kay remarked. Steve jobs has been found quoting alan kay of xerox parc when he says people who are serious about great software need to also be serious about great hardware. The rope memory device shown here, a prototype created in 1963 by burroughs. Computer software by alan kay presenting a singletopic issuc on thc concepts and techniques needed to make the computer do ones bidding. Computing pioneer alan kay had some advice in the 1980s that steve jobs clearly took to heart. Alan kay people who are really serious about software. She is an actress, playwright, screenwriter and producer known for cowriting the science fiction film tron and has two emmys for production to her credit. A computing pioneer, alan kays lab at xerox parc led steve jobs to commercialize the concept of a graphical user interface and a. Alan kay 2008 alan curtis kay born 17 may 1940 is an american computer scientist best known for his pioneering work on objectoriented programming and windowing graphical user interface design.
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