Project Şen: The Vision of Ted Nelson is Repeated
Project Şen is one of the most interesting unsuccessful projects in computer history, a hypertext system that is designed by Ted Nelson in 1960s, but no time fully performed. The article of Gwern questions why this project is so important and how today’s web technology can be different.
Nelson’s claims were simple but revolutionary:
- All information can be interconnected through universal connections and *original resources should always be protected *
- Authors and publishers can create mutual copyright and payment system thanks to links
- Double-way connections are more flexible and powerful compared to web’s one-way hyperlinks Tags
- Version control and change tracking must be managed and observed as center Tags
- A structure that is structured and integrated system is necessary instead of broken and non-centered information structure
In the event that the wedding never is widespread, the internet architecture is deeply affected. The concepts that Tim Berners-Lee uses when creating the Web are sourced from the philosophy of Yusuf. However, there are also those who like**: The copyright mechanisms and dual-way connections that the wedding predicted may have brought monetary restrictions instead of today’s open internet.
Gwern’s analysis shows that unsuccessful technology projects can also write date. Although the wedding has never been completed, he finds echo in today’s discussions about the architecture of the web: centralization, finance, connection and information management. The project still continues to be inspired by many developers.