Tracy, (01)
Sorry for the delay in getting this to you. Here are a few
paragraphs on the NLS/Augment restoration project of the Software
Collection Committee. Feel free to edit if space is tight, or let me
know if you'd like me to shorten it. I did want to make sure the
people working on this project were properly credited. (02)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= (03)
The Software Collection Committee (SCC), under chair Bernard Peuto,
has several test bed projects to explore how to collect historically
important software, as the museum currently does with hardware and
other artifacts. Paul McJones is leading Fortran and Lisp projects,
and I am leading a project to preserve NLS. NLS (oNLine System) is
an advanced knowledge management and collaboration system that was
originally developed by Dr. Douglas Engelbart and his team at SRI
from 1964 to 1977. It is a seminal software system that pioneered
such things as hypermedia, windowed user interfaces, display editing,
video conferencing, screen sharing, and groupware. Ironically, the
best known by-product from this work is the mouse. Doug's
demonstration at the 1968 ACM conference in San Francisco is still
famous as the "mother of all demos". (04)
The project started eighteen months ago, and is lucky to have a
"dream team" of six core and eight advisory members, including Doug
Engelbart and several members of his original SRI team. Thanks to
Doug, Rayleen Pak, Ken Harrenstien, and Jonathan Cheyer (technical
lead), we have cloned the last running NLS system, which Doug still
uses daily. We are now in the process of studying it (something that
may take several more years) and packaging it for future
distribution. This project is unique because it is collecting not
only related manuals, videos, and other documents, but also
historical NLS hardware and schematics. It is also creating new
software, including a Java based version of the AugTerm client and an
exporter and XML schema for document content, as well as new
hardware, including USB interfaces and replicas of the original chord
keyset and mouse. Finally we are collaborating closely with a new
NSF funded Hyperscope project under Eugene Kim to create a modern NLS
system, and Peter Yim of CIM3. (05)
One of most difficult parts of the project has been the legal
issues. We needed to trace patents, trademarks, copyrights and other
IP, and secure releases to make NLS and related material publicly
available. NLS was sold by SRI to Tymshare/Tymnet in 1977 and later
to McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing), then to British Telecom,
and then to MCI (now part of Verizon). Thanks to work by Sally Abel,
Kathe Gust, and Jake Feinler, we located and cleared all related
patents and trademarks. Getting permission to release copyrighted
software and documents has taken over a year. None of the companies
has records of owning this material, and all were reluctant to
provide copyright releases. However, with help from the late Lew
Platt at Boeing, Adam Cheyer at SRI and Vint Cerf formerly at
Verizon, we have secured sufficient releases from Boeing and BT, and
expect to soon from SRI and Verizon. As a result, we will finally be
able to make the software and documents widely available for study,
hopefully in time for SRI's 50th anniversary in October. (06)
This has been a complex project, but one that will provide a great
deal of information on collecting software to CHM, and a wealth of
historical information to historians and the general public, Best of
all, it will make the public aware of the visionary system created by
Doug Engelbart and his team at SRI, decades before similar
capabilities were widely available in modern computer systems. (07)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= (08)
At 11:50 AM 4/9/2006, Jake Feinler wrote:
>Philip,
>
>Could you or Kathy write two or three paragraphs for the museum
>Volunteer Newsletter concerning your work on restoring NLS and your
>collaboration with Eugene Kim and Doug, and send it to Tracy King
>with a cc: to me. I would attempt to write it, but have been away
>for several weeks and am woefully behind on the progress you have made.
>Tracy needs this as soon as possible
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jake
>On Mar 15, 2006, at 3:49 PM, Philip Gust wrote: (09)
Philip Gust
Nouveau Systems, Inc.
3120 De La Cruz Blvd., Suite 120
Santa Clara, CA 95054 (010)
phone: +1 650 961-7992
fax: +1 520 843-7217 (011)
mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com (012)
Nouveau Systems products seamlessly integrate collaboration,
information management, processes automation, and capture of
mission-critical knowledge. To learn how Nouveau Systems products
can help your organization drive innovation, visit:
http://www.NouveauSystems.com (013)
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