Advent of Computing Episode 69 - The oN-Line System, Part 1
Nov 15, 2021
A deep dive into the origins of NLS, tracing Doug Engelbart’s shift from punch cards to computing. Exploration of edge‑notched cards as a low‑tech information system and how they inspired linking and personal mimex ideas. Discussion of Vannevar Bush’s influence, the limits of sequential access storage, and the H‑L‑A‑M‑T framework for augmenting human intellect.
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Engelbart's Transformative Encounter With Bush
- Doug Engelbart read Vannevar Bush's As We May Think in 1945 and found it transformative for tackling the information problem.
- Engelbart said the essay "thrilled" him and he "never forgot that," sparking his lifelong focus on augmenting human intellect.
Bush's Rapid Selector Was Sequential Punch Card Search
- Vannevar Bush's MIMEX centered on a Rapid Selector that matched punched-query cards to microfilm slides.
- The Rapid Selector encoded metadata as dot patterns on slides and compared them sequentially to a query punch card.
Punch Cards Gave Capacity But Enforced Sequence
- Punch cards stored discrete data cheaply but required expensive machinery and were effectively sequential access.
- An IBM 80-column card encoded ~80 characters, so large datasets meant huge stacks and reliance on tabulators and sorters.