Amazing that NLS/Augment ended up at Boeing of all places. (01)
Jake
On Apr 6, 2005, at 6:02 AM, Philip Gust wrote: (02)
> John,
>
> It's a very small valley, isn't it. Kathe and I unfortunately couldn't
> make it to the event. I'm glad that you were able to make the
> connection. Having Boeing's support on this will be very valuable.
>
> On my suggestion about getting some early publicity for the SCC's
> work, I
> don't think it's too early for CHM to and the SCC to benefit from some
> early public awareness of its new software collection initiative in a
> popular science publication. There are several good reasons to do
> it. First and foremost is to make people who may have something to
> contribute aware that we exist and interested in hearing from them. We
> need that kind of serendipitous support sooner rather than later.
> Second,
> we need long-term corporate awareness and support from the Boeings of
> the
> world to help us in our collection and preservation efforts. The best
> way
> to reach CIOs and CTOs at these corporations is through popular science
> publications like the ones I mentioned.
>
> It's definitely not too soon to start putting out feelers on this.
> Lead
> times for feature stories in these magazines can run up to six or even
> nine
> months, depending on what they have in their pipeline. That means an
> article wouldn't come out until somewhere between October and December
> even
> if we started the process today. More likely is an article sometime
> early
> next Spring.
>
> In preparation for such an article, we could certainly establish a
> milestone for late this year of getting an outward-facing SCC website
> up,
> organizing what we have so far for public consumption, and putting in
> place
> a way of handling inquiries from the public. Remember that we were
> entertaining the idea of a workshop as early as September and are now
> considering one sometime early next Spring, so the timing would be
> about
> right. Besides, it would be a good driver to move the committee
> forward and
> get more of its members involved in a hands-one way. Think about it.
>
> At 11:01 AM 4/4/2005, John Toole wrote:
>> Phil,
>>
>> Just a follow-up on Scott Griffin comments. Thursday night I was at
>> Peter Giles' farewell at the Tech, and Lew Platt (and his wife) was
>> there. We had a great conversation, and he told me that Scott was
>> really interested in the project. He wants to visit the Museum, but
>> has
>> only been in town a rare fews days at a time. Of course, we're trying
>> to get him to see the entire Museum, and it might be good to get Scott
>> here -- I'll send him an invite, and cc you.
>>
>> A few minutes later, I was talking to Doug Engelbart (and Karen), and
>> since he happened to be near Lew, I introduced then all, and everyone
>> seemed to have a good talk.
>>
>> So from a project point of view, you probably have some good support
>> from Boeing.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> --John
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Bernard L. PEUTO [mailto:blpeuto@peuto.com]
>> Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 10:21 PM
>> To: John Toole; 'Philip Gust'
>> Cc: 'nls-restore'
>> Subject: RE: Follow-up of our discussion at HP Retiree's lunch on
>> Computer History Museum
>>
>> Thanks to both of you for you thoughts. I am hoping that a well
>> stocked
>> web
>> site will help us in this direction but am still nervous about any
>> publicity
>> until if is well stocked and we have put in place control mechanisms
>> for
>> handling a surge of interest.
>>
>> Bernard
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: John Toole [mailto:toole@computerhistory.org]
>>> Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 11:10 AM
>>> To: Philip Gust
>>> Cc: nls-restore; Bernard Peuto
>>> Subject: RE: Follow-up of our discussion at HP Retiree's
>>> lunch on Computer History Museum
>>>
>>> Phil,
>>>
>>> Sounds like real progress.....as to the feelers on articles,
>>> I like the suggestion but let's not get too far ahead of our
>>> headlights for now.
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> --John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Philip Gust [mailto:gust@NouveauSystems.com]
>>> Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 9:20 AM
>>> To: John Toole
>>> Cc: nls-restore; Bernard Peuto
>>> Subject: RE: Follow-up of our discussion at HP Retiree's
>>> lunch on Computer History Museum
>>>
>>> John,
>>>
>>> Thanks for forwarding this. Scott Griffin, Boeing's CIO,
>>> called me on Friday. He had a few more follow-up questions
>>> about the results of Kathe's research, and also wanted to let
>>> me know he's working on this. Scott sounds like a very nice
>>> person, and we had a good conversation about the project. He
>>> is very interested in what the museum is doing on collecting
>>> and preserving software, and he's especially interested in
>>> NLS/Augmen Scott's found that the last work on the software
>>> was done at McDonnell Douglas Network Systems Company. Boeing
>>> sold some of that company's assets to British Telecom
>>> Timenet. Scott is now looking in to whether NLS/Augment went
>>> with it or remained with Boeing, since the software was not
>>> an active product at the time of the sale. He said that it's
>>> not on his list of Boeing software assets, but that may not
>>> mean much, being that far back. He says that even if it did
>>> get sold to BT Timenet, he's interested in helping us
>>> interface with them and negotiating its release.
>>>
>>> I think it's very hopeful that we have so many well-placed
>>> people who are taking such an active interest in this
>>> project. Software preservation seems to strike a chord in
>>> people's imaginations. Maybe we should find some way to at
>>> least let the public know CHM is doing this, ahead of any
>>>
>>> workshops or conferences. One idea might be to see if we
>>> could get one or more popular articles in Discover, Science
>>> News, Smithsonian, or Scientific American. If this sounds
>>> like a good idea to you, we should put out feelers to those
>>> or similar publications in the next month or so to gauge
>>> their interest.
>>>
>>> At 07:50 AM 3/28/2005, you wrote:
>>>> Alan,
>>>>
>>>> Thanks very much for the note and consideration. We really
>>> appreciate
>>>> Boeing's help in this matter, and know you see the value in
>>> preserving
>>>> important software for posterity.
>>>>
>>>> If I, or any of our volunteers, can give you more background, please
>>>> don't hesitate to ask. We'll look forward to hear from you
>>> in a couple
>>>> of weeks.
>>>>
>>>> --John
>>>>
>>>> John C. Toole
>>>> Executive Director & CEO
>>>> Computer History Museum
>>>> 650 810 1000 (direct)
>>>> 650 906 9873 (cell)
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Poskanzer, Alan M [mailto:alan.m.poskanzer@boeing.com]
>>>> Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 2:41 PM
>>>> To: John Toole
>>>> Cc: Gullette, Robert L; Tierney, James K; Griffin, Scott D
>>>> Subject: RE: Follow-up of our discussion at HP Retiree's lunch on
>>>> Computer History Museum
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Mr. Toole,
>>>>
>>>> I have been asked to look into this matter, as described
>>> below, and we
>>>> are doing so. There are some internal procedures that must
>>> be followed
>>>> at Boeing to effectuate approval of the release of the copyrights to
>>> the
>>>> software and we are initiating that. It will take a couple of weeks
>>>> before we know if the release is approved. In the meantime,
>>> please be
>>>> patient and we shall keep you informed of our progress.
>>>>
>>>> If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to
>>>> give
>>> me
>>>> a call.
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>
>>>> --Al Poskanzer
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Al Poskanzer, Ph.D.
>>>> Director, Technology Licensing
>>>> The Boeing Company
>>>> Intellectual Property Business
>>>> (949) 790-1343
>>>> (949) 790-1399 fax
>>>> (949) 300-2939 cell
>>>> alan.m.poskanzer@boeing.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Philip Gust [mailto:gust@NouveauSystems.com]
>>>> Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 10:53 AM
>>>> To: Lew Platt
>>>> Cc: John Toole
>>>> Subject: Follow-up of our discussion at HP Retiree's lunch
>>> on Computer
>>>> History Museum
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Lew,
>>>>
>>>> It was nice to see you again at the HP Retiree's luncheon this week.
>>>> Your
>>>> reflections on the HP culture gave me food for thought as a
>>> "retiree".
>>>> It also gave my wife Kathe a new perspective as someone who is still
>>>> with HP. We'd both like to thank you for that.
>>>>
>>>> When we talked before lunch, I told you that Kathe and I are
>>> involved
>>>> with the Computer History Museum, as part of the Software Collection
>>>> Committee. The committee is developing methods for the museum to
>>>> collect, preserve, and exhibit software, as it currently does with
>>>> hardware. We feel a particular urgency to act quickly, while the
>>>> artifacts and some of
>>> the
>>>>
>>>> people who worked on them are still available.
>>>>
>>>> The committee has launched a handful of pilot preservation projects,
>>>> lead by committee members who are familiar with some of the most
>>> historically
>>>>
>>>> important pieces of software. I am leading the project to
>>> preserve NLS
>>>> (oNLine System), an early knowledge management system created by
>>> Douglas
>>>>
>>>> Engelbart and his team at SRI from 1964 to 1977. NLS is a seminal
>>> piece
>>>> of
>>>> software that pioneered such things as hypermedia, windowed user
>>>> interfaces, display editing, screen sharing, and groupware.
>>> Ironically,
>>>>
>>>> the best known by-product from this work is the mouse. Doug
>>> and several
>>>> members of his team are now advisory members for the preservation
>>>> project.
>>>>
>>>> An issue that invariably comes up in software preservation
>>> projects is
>>>> ownership and the right for the museum to collect, preserve, and
>>> exhibit
>>>>
>>>> the software. Kathe has researched the issue, and has
>>> discovered that
>>>> through a series of acquisitions, Boeing is the current
>>> owner of NLS,
>>>> later commercialized as Augment.
>>>>
>>>> While NLS is no longer of any commercial value, it is important for
>>>> learning about early software architectures and development
>>> techniques.
>>>> The
>>>> last known copy of NLS/Augment, complete with all the source
>>> code and
>>>> documentation, is running on a PC based PDP-20 emulator that a few
>>>> volunteers help Doug maintain. Doug would like to see NLS/Augment
>>>> preserved by the museum, and made freely available to the software
>>>> community.
>>>>
>>>> That is why, on behalf of Doug and the Computer History Museum, I am
>>>> asking for your help. I am requesting that Boeing formally release
>>>> NLS/Augment into the public domain, and allow Doug and the museum to
>>>> make it available without restriction to anyone who would like to
>>>> study, use it, or build on the concepts that it embodies. By
>>> doing this
>>>> under the auspices of the Computer History Museum, Boeing
>>> may even be
>>>> able to realize some tax advantage by having the it recognized as a
>>>> contribution by the museum.
>>>> John
>>>> Toole, the Executive Director of the Computer History Museum, is
>>>> open
>>> to
>>>>
>>>> discussing such an arrangement.
>>>>
>>>> I appreciate your interest in this, and your offer to help us locate
>>>> someone within Boeing who can authorize what we are asking. In the
>>>> likely event that it is not feasible for Boeing to trace this
>>>> internally
>>> across
>>>>
>>>> all the acquisitions and mergers, I would suggest that
>>> Boeing consider
>>>> issuing a simple letter releasing any interest it may have in the
>>>> software to the public domain. Doug just turned 80, and I know that
>>>> this would
>>> be
>>>>
>>>> the best birthday present anyone could possibly give him.
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>>> -=-=-=-=-=
>>> -
>>>> =-=-=-=-=-=
>>>> Background and Chain of Ownership of NLS/Augment
>>>>
>>>> Douglas C. Engelbart grew and directed a pioneering computer
>>> research
>>>> lab, the Augmentation Research Center (ARC) at SRI,. The
>>> lab, which at
>>>> its height had a staff of up to 47, pioneered modern interactive
>>>> computing and working environments. Among the lab's
>>> developments, were
>>>> "NLS" (oNLine
>>>> System) which, integrated the "mouse," display editing, windows,
>>>> cross-file editing, idea/outline processing, hypermedia, and
>>> groupware,
>>>> including shared-screen teleconferencing and
>>> computer-supported meeting
>>>> room capabilities. NLS/Augment is arguably the genesis of hypertext,
>>>> linked media online webs.
>>>>
>>>> In 1977, a company called Tymshare Inc., bought NLS, hired
>>> its creator
>>>> as a Senior Scientist, and offered commercial services based
>>> upon NLS,
>>>> which they re-named Augment.. Tymshare was already somewhat familiar
>>>> with
>>> NLS;
>>>>
>>>> back when ARC was still operational, it had experimented
>>> with its own
>>>> local copy of the NLS software on a minicomputer called OFFICE-1, as
>>>> part of
>>> a
>>>>
>>>> joint project with ARC.
>>>>
>>>> When Tymshare was later acquired by McDonnell Douglas in 1984, he
>>> worked
>>>>
>>>> with the Aerospace Components Division of MDC on issues of
>>> integrated
>>>> information system architectures and associated evolutionary
>>> strategies,
>>>>
>>>> extending the work done originally at SRI. Active
>>> development of NLS
>>>> was more or less finished by late 1968 , and
>>> McDonnell-Douglas appears
>>>> to have completely stopped working with the product upon Englebart's
>>>> retirement in 1986.
>>>>
>>>> McDonnell-Douglas, last known owner of the copyrights to the system
>>>> merged with Boeing in 1997 in a $13 billion stock-swap.
>>>>
>>>> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>>> -=-=-=-=-=
>>> -
>>>> =-=-=-=-=-=
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Philip Gust
>>>> Nouveau Systems, Inc.
>>>>
>>>> phone: +1 650 961-7992
>>>> fax: +1 520 843-7217
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com
>>>
>>>
>>> Philip Gust
>>> Nouveau Systems, Inc.
>>>
>>> phone: +1 650 961-7992
>>> fax: +1 520 843-7217
>>>
>>>
>>> mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
> Philip Gust
> Nouveau Systems, Inc.
>
> phone: +1 650 961-7992
> fax: +1 520 843-7217
>
>
> mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Message Archives: http://chm.cim3.net/forum/nls-restore/
> Shared Files: http://chm.cim3.net/file/work/project/nls-restore/
> Community Portal: http://www.computerhistory.org/
> To Post: mailto:nls-restore@chm.cim3.net
> Community Wiki: http://chm.cim3.net/wiki/
> (03)
_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://chm.cim3.net/forum/nls-restore/
Shared Files: http://chm.cim3.net/file/work/project/nls-restore/
Community Portal: http://www.computerhistory.org/
To Post: mailto:nls-restore@chm.cim3.net
Community Wiki: http://chm.cim3.net/wiki/ (04)
|