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:zz: PURPS OF ZZ (semi-weekly Gratuitous General Statement) (was Re: [zigzag] Okay, I've figured out
- To: zigzag@xxxxxxxxxx
- Subject: :zz: PURPS OF ZZ (semi-weekly Gratuitous General Statement) (was Re: [zigzag] Okay, I've figured out
- From: Ted Nelson <ted@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 02:26:53 +0900
- Cc: ted@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- In-reply-to: <199811042216.QAA20194@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Reply-to: zigzag@xxxxxxxxxx
Newly-Noticed Welcome Particpant Phil Wall writes:
>So far, zigzag is a really nifty toy, but I have to say it's not much more
>than that for me until I understand more about it.
(Ahem.)
ZigZag is a prototype and demonstration tool with
many current intentions. It has been put together
with *very* limited resources (but especially the
most excellent initial versions of Andrew Pam, and
maintenance by himself and Bek Oberin),
purposing to--
1. Demonstrate that it is possible to have software
without metaphors*, icons, hierarchies or applications.
2. Begin building a personal software environment
entirely to my own liking, for every purpose. (My
belief is that others will like it too, but only if I design
it exactly to suit the customer base I know best !-)
3. Show a generalized form of connectivity that could
be made the basis for a lot of things in--
- software
- consumer appliances (note that it nicely fits both
touch-tone and Nintendo input)
4. Investigate a possible new operating system / world
without hierarchies, with everything annotatable, etc.
5. Provide a test bed and assembly kit for component
software-- a very different alternative to Visual Basic.
6. Provide a new interface for Unix/Linux (the zzshell
command, not yet functioning correctly, which will
allow arbitrary cells to execute Unix command lines
and programs, yet pass parameters; allowing gradualism
in learning one of the world's most user-hostile environments.
Best, T
* scraps of resemblance-- I refuse to accept the term
"metaphor" for conceptual structure or virtuality.
See my book *The Future of Information* at
At 04:16 PM 11/4/98 -0600, you wrote:
>how to navigate, make new dimensions and nodes, make links, and put in
>data. So is there any documentation around that describes how to make
>nodes that are active, that is, nodes that I can park cursor 0 on and hit
>return to get them to do something after having put code inside them?
>I realize you can simply put a "#" as the first character in the node,
>but I don't know what commands are available to put in them.
>
>So far, zigzag is a really nifty toy, but I have to say it's not much more
>than that for me until I understand more about it.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>Philip J. Wall |
>TeX Programmer | "Accentuate
>Wolfram Research, Inc. | the
>philw@xxxxxxxxxxx | Indeterminate"
>(217)398-0700, ext. 170 |
>
>
>
____________________________________________________
Theodor Holm Nelson, Visiting Professor of Environmental Information
Keio University, Shonan Fujisawa Campus, Fujisawa, Japan
Home Fax from USA: 011-81-466-46-7368 (If in Japan, 0466-46-7368)
Professorial home page http://www.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~ted/
_____________________________________________________
Permanent: Project Xanadu, 3020 Bridgeway #295, Sausalito CA 94965
Tel. 415/ 331-4422, fax 415/332-0136
http://www.xanadu.net
PERMANENT E-MAIL: ted@xxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________
Quotation of the day, 98.11.05:
Last words of Ludwig Wittgenstein: "Tell them I had a wonderful life."