Advent of Computing Episode 79 - ZOG: Military Strength Hypertext
Apr 3, 2022
A deep dive into ZOG, a 1970s hypertext system that found its way onto a Navy carrier. Discussions cover PROMISE medical records, touchscreen frame interfaces, and how ideas crossed between CMU and military projects. The story traces ZOG’s design features, field tests aboard the USS Carl Vinson, and its role as an early networked information front end.
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Workshop Attendees Were Up And Running In Hours
- The 1972 workshop users were all online within three hours thanks to ZOG's simple interface.
- ZOG gave small responses that led to meaningful interactions, lowering the barrier for participants unfamiliar with large systems.
ZOG2 Generalized PROMIS Into A Testable Interface
- ZOG2 explicitly generalized PROMIS's touchscreen frame model into a testable, keyboard-driven hypertext interface.
- The CMU team wanted to evaluate Promise's ideas critically, not merely copy them, turning them into a broader communication philosophy.
ZOG Treated Latency As An Experimental Parameter
- Rapid response was treated as a measurable parameter: ZOG targeted 0.05s 70% of the time versus PROMIS's 0.25s.
- The team viewed perceived instant feedback as crucial to exploration and user engagement.