Exegesis

Stateless — Wiki Source List

Stateless

Wiki source list — working document

Concepts

¶Artificial Intelligence

https://stateless.zone/background/#artificial-intelligence

Term coined by John McCarthy at the Dartmouth Conference, 1956. See also: Semantic Computation

See also: McCarthy, John, Dartmouth Conference (1956), Minsky, Marvin, Semantic Computation, Large Language Model (LLM), ELIZA, Weizenbaum, Joseph

¶California Garage, The

https://stateless.zone/background/#california-garage

Founding myth of Silicon Valley; HP founded in a Palo Alto garage (1939); Apple in a Los Altos garage (1976); concept of the lone inventor and bootstrapped startup

See also: Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett, Bill, Packard, Dave, Jobs, Steve, Wozniak, Steve

¶CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing)

https://stateless.zone/background/#cisc

Processor design philosophy; contrast with RISC

See also: RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing), Intel, Motorola

¶CPU (Central Processing Unit)

https://stateless.zone/background/#cpu

Concept and component; the primary processor of a computer

See also: RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing), CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing), Intel, MOS Technology, Motorola

¶Desktop Publishing

https://stateless.zone/background/#desktop-publishing

Concept and practice coined by Paul Brainerd of Aldus, 1984

See also: Brainerd, Paul, Aldus Corporation, PageMaker, QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign

¶Large Language Model (LLM)

https://stateless.zone/background/#llm

Class of AI system. See also: Semantic Computation

See also: Artificial Intelligence, Semantic Computation, ELIZA, Weizenbaum, Joseph, Lanier, Jaron

¶Lisp machines (concept)

https://stateless.zone/background/#lisp-machines-concept

Specialised computers designed to run Lisp efficiently. See also: Lisp Machines Inc., Symbolics

See also: Lisp, Lisp Machines Inc., Symbolics, McCarthy, John

¶Memex

https://stateless.zone/background/#memex

Theoretical device described by Vannevar Bush in 'As We May Think' (1945); conceptual precursor to hypertext and the web

See also: Bush, Vannevar, "As We May Think", Nelson, Ted, Engelbart, Douglas, Xanadu

¶Moore's Law

https://stateless.zone/background/#moores-law

Observation by Gordon Moore (1965) that transistor density doubles approximately every two years; became a self-fulfilling prophecy driving the semiconductor industry

See also: Moore, Gordon, Intel, Fairchild Semiconductor

¶Multitasking

https://stateless.zone/background/#multitasking

Computing concept: ability to run multiple processes concurrently. Preemptive multitasking (OS controls scheduling; e.g. Amiga, Unix) vs cooperative multitasking (programs yield voluntarily; e.g. early Mac, Windows 3.x)

See also: Amiga, UNIX, BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)

¶RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)

https://stateless.zone/background/#risc

Processor design philosophy; contrast with CISC; basis of ARM

See also: CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing), ARM Holdings, MIPS Inc., Furber, Steve, Wilson, Sophie

¶Semantic Computation

https://stateless.zone/background/#semantic-computation

Neologism (J. Walsh); proposed alternative to 'artificial intelligence'; describes what these systems demonstrably do — process and manipulate meaning and symbol relationships — rather than making claims about what they are

See also: Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Model (LLM), Weizenbaum, Joseph

¶Spreadsheet

https://stateless.zone/background/#spreadsheet

Concept and software category. See VisiCalc

See also: VisiCalc, Bricklin, Dan, Frankston, Bob

¶TCP/IP

https://stateless.zone/background/#tcp-ip

Networking protocol suite (Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, 1974; foundation of the internet)

See also: Cerf, Vint, Kahn, Bob, ARPANET, Berners-Lee, Tim

¶Xanadu

https://stateless.zone/background/#xanadu

Ted Nelson's unrealised hypertext project; the road not taken from the web

See also: Nelson, Ted, Memex, Berners-Lee, Tim, Bush, Vannevar

Companies

¶Acorn Computers

https://stateless.zone/background/#acorn

British computer company (founded by Hermann Hauser and Chris Curry; parent of ARM Holdings)

See also: Hauser, Hermann, Curry, Chris, ARM Holdings, Wilson, Sophie, Furber, Steve, Saxby, Robin

¶Adobe

https://stateless.zone/background/#adobe

Software company (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Creative Suite; founded 1982)

See also: Aldus Corporation, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Creative Suite, Altsys

¶Aldus Corporation

https://stateless.zone/background/#aldus

Software company (PageMaker; founded by Paul Brainerd; acquired by Adobe, 1994)

See also: Brainerd, Paul, PageMaker, Adobe, Altsys, Macromedia FreeHand, Desktop Publishing

¶Altsys

https://stateless.zone/background/#altsys

Software company (developed FreeHand, published by Aldus; later acquired by Macromedia)

See also: Macromedia FreeHand, Aldus Corporation, Adobe Illustrator

¶ARM Holdings

https://stateless.zone/background/#arm-holdings

Semiconductor company (spun out of Acorn Computers; licensing model pioneered by Robin Saxby)

See also: Acorn Computers, Saxby, Robin, Wilson, Sophie, Furber, Steve, StrongARM, RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)

¶AT&T Bell Labs

https://stateless.zone/background/#att-bell-labs

Research laboratory (birthplace of UNIX, C, and much else)

See also: UNIX, Thompson, Ken, Ritchie, Dennis, BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)

¶Commodore International

https://stateless.zone/background/#commodore

Personal computer manufacturer (Jack Tramiel)

See also: Tramiel, Jack, Amiga, Commodore PET, Trinity of 1977, The, Miner, Jay, Peddle, Chuck, MOS Technology

¶Data General

https://stateless.zone/background/#data-general

Minicomputer manufacturer; subject of The Soul of a New Machine

See also: The Soul of a New Machine, Kidder, Tracy, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

¶Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

https://stateless.zone/background/#dec

Minicomputer manufacturer (Ken Olsen)

See also: Olsen, Ken, Alpha, StrongARM, Data General

¶Digital Research

https://stateless.zone/background/#digital-research

Software company (Gary Kildall; CP/M operating system)

See also: Kildall, Gary, DOS (Disk Operating System), Gates, Bill

¶Fairchild Semiconductor

https://stateless.zone/background/#fairchild

Semiconductor company (founded 1957 by the Traitorous Eight; origin of Silicon Valley as an ecosystem)

See also: Traitorous Eight, The, Noyce, Robert, Moore, Gordon, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Intel

¶Freescale Semiconductor

https://stateless.zone/background/#freescale

Semiconductor company (spun out of Motorola, 2004)

¶Hewlett-Packard

https://stateless.zone/background/#hewlett-packard

Technology company (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard; founded in a Palo Alto garage, 1939)

See also: Hewlett, Bill, Packard, Dave, California Garage, The

¶IBM

https://stateless.zone/background/#ibm

Mainframe and technology manufacturer

See also: Hollerith, Herman, DOS (Disk Operating System), Digital Research

¶Intel

https://stateless.zone/background/#intel

Semiconductor manufacturer

See also: Noyce, Robert, Moore, Gordon, Faggin, Federico, Shima, Masatoshi, Fairchild Semiconductor, Traitorous Eight, The, Moore's Law

¶Lisp Machines Inc.

https://stateless.zone/background/#lisp-machines-inc

Computer company (spun out of MIT AI Lab; specialized Lisp hardware)

See also: Lisp, Lisp machines (concept), Symbolics, McCarthy, John

¶MIPS Inc.

https://stateless.zone/background/#mips-inc

Semiconductor company (MIPS RISC processor architecture; Stanford spinout)

See also: RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing), SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc.)

¶MOS Technology

https://stateless.zone/background/#mos-technology

Semiconductor company (6502 processor; Chuck Peddle)

See also: Peddle, Chuck, Commodore International, Apple II, Trinity of 1977, The

¶Motorola

https://stateless.zone/background/#motorola

Semiconductor and electronics manufacturer (68000 processor family)

See also: Freescale Semiconductor, CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing)

¶National Semiconductor

https://stateless.zone/background/#national-semi

Semiconductor manufacturer

See also: Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Fairchild Semiconductor

¶NeXT

https://stateless.zone/background/#next

Computer company (founded by Steve Jobs, 1985)

See also: Jobs, Steve, NeXTSTEP, OpenStep, Tevanian, Avie

¶Nixdorf

https://stateless.zone/background/#nixdorf

Nixdorf Computer AG; German mid-range computer manufacturer, 1970s–80s

See also: IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

¶Olivetti

https://stateless.zone/background/#olivetti

Italian technology and computing company

¶Radio Shack / Tandy Corporation

https://stateless.zone/background/#tandy

Electronics retailer and computer manufacturer (TRS-80)

¶SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc.)

https://stateless.zone/background/#sgi

Workstation manufacturer (high-end graphics computing)

See also: MIPS Inc., RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)

¶Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory

https://stateless.zone/background/#shockley-semi

Semiconductor company (William Shockley; Mountain View, California, 1956; origin point of Silicon Valley)

See also: Shockley, William, Traitorous Eight, The, Fairchild Semiconductor

¶Sinclair Research

https://stateless.zone/background/#sinclair-research

British computer company (Clive Sinclair)

¶Sun Microsystems

https://stateless.zone/background/#sun-microsystems

Workstation and server manufacturer (Java; SunOS; Solaris)

See also: Joy, Bill, SunOS, Solaris, RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing), MIPS Inc.

¶Symbolics

https://stateless.zone/background/#symbolics

Lisp machine company (spun out of MIT AI Lab; registered the first .com domain, 1985)

See also: Lisp, Lisp machines (concept), Lisp Machines Inc., McCarthy, John

¶Texas Instruments

https://stateless.zone/background/#ti

Semiconductor and electronics manufacturer

See also: CPU (Central Processing Unit), RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)

¶Zilog

https://stateless.zone/background/#zilog

Semiconductor company (Federico Faggin; Z80 processor)

See also: Faggin, Federico, Shima, Masatoshi

Events

¶Dartmouth Conference (1956)

https://stateless.zone/background/#dartmouth

Founding moment of AI as a named field; John McCarthy coined the term 'artificial intelligence'

See also: McCarthy, John, Minsky, Marvin, Artificial Intelligence

¶Mother of All Demos

https://stateless.zone/background/#mother-of-all-demos

Landmark demonstration by Douglas Engelbart, 1968; first public demonstration of the mouse, hypertext, video conferencing and collaborative real-time editing

See also: Engelbart, Douglas, Nelson, Ted, Bush, Vannevar, Memex, Xanadu

Hardware

¶Alpha

https://stateless.zone/background/#alpha

Processor architecture (Digital Equipment Corporation; high-performance RISC chip, 1992)

See also: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing), StrongARM

¶Amiga

https://stateless.zone/background/#amiga

Personal computer (Commodore, 1985; pioneering multitasking and graphics; Jay Miner). Andy Warhol used it at its 1985 launch to digitise Debbie Harry's face.

See also: Commodore International, Miner, Jay, Multitasking, Warhol, Andy, Trinity of 1977, The

¶Apple II

https://stateless.zone/background/#apple-ii

Personal computer (Apple, 1977; one of the Trinity of 1977)

See also: Trinity of 1977, The, Wozniak, Steve, Jobs, Steve, MOS Technology

¶Apple Newton

https://stateless.zone/background/#apple-newton

Personal digital assistant (Apple, 1993–1998; used StrongARM processor)

See also: StrongARM, ARM Holdings, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), Jobs, Steve

¶Commodore PET

https://stateless.zone/background/#commodore-pet

Personal computer (Commodore, 1977; one of the Trinity of 1977)

See also: Trinity of 1977, The, Tramiel, Jack, Commodore International, Peddle, Chuck, MOS Technology

¶StrongARM

https://stateless.zone/background/#strongarm

Processor developed by DEC in collaboration with ARM; later acquired by Intel; used in Apple Newton and many other devices

See also: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), ARM Holdings, Apple Newton, Intel

¶TRS-80

https://stateless.zone/background/#trs-80

Personal computer (Tandy/Radio Shack, 1977; one of the Trinity of 1977)

See also: Trinity of 1977, The, Radio Shack / Tandy Corporation

Movements

¶Frankfurt School

https://stateless.zone/background/#frankfurt-school

Critical theory movement (Adorno, Horkheimer, Habermas et al.); associated with the Institute for Social Research, Frankfurt

See also: Adorno, Theodor, Horkheimer, Max, Habermas, Jürgen, Benjamin, Walter, Baudrillard, Jean

¶Traitorous Eight, The

https://stateless.zone/background/#traitorous-eight

The eight engineers who left Shockley Semiconductor in 1957 to found Fairchild Semiconductor; including Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore; effectively the founding act of Silicon Valley

See also: Shockley, William, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Fairchild Semiconductor, Noyce, Robert, Moore, Gordon

¶Trinity of 1977, The

https://stateless.zone/background/#trinity-1977

The three personal computers released in 1977 that launched the personal computer industry: Apple II, Commodore PET, and TRS-80

See also: Apple II, Commodore PET, TRS-80, Wozniak, Steve, Tramiel, Jack, Radio Shack / Tandy Corporation

People

¶Adorno, Theodor

https://stateless.zone/background/#adorno

(1903–1969) — philosopher

See also: Frankfurt School, Horkheimer, Max, Habermas, Jürgen, Benjamin, Walter

¶Anscombe, Elizabeth

https://stateless.zone/background/#anscombe

(1919–2001) — philosopher

See also: Wittgenstein, Ludwig, Frankfurt, Harry G.

¶Aristotle

https://stateless.zone/background/#aristotle

(384–322 BC) — philosopher

¶Atkinson, Bill

https://stateless.zone/background/#atkinson

(1951–) — software designer (creator of HyperCard)

See also: HyperCard, HyperTalk, Horn, Bruce, Raskin, Jef

¶Ballard, J.G.

https://stateless.zone/background/#ballard

(James Graham Ballard) (1930–2009) — novelist

See also: Vermilion Sands, New Worlds, Moorcock, Michael

¶Barthes, Roland

https://stateless.zone/background/#barthes

(1915–1980) — literary theorist and critic

See also: Benjamin, Walter, Berger, John, Eco, Umberto

¶Baudrillard, Jean

https://stateless.zone/background/#baudrillard

(1929–2007) — social theorist

See also: Frankfurt School, Benjamin, Walter

¶Benjamin, Walter

https://stateless.zone/background/#benjamin

(1892–1940) — cultural critic and philosopher

See also: Adorno, Theodor, Horkheimer, Max, Frankfurt School, Berger, John, Warhol, Andy, Barthes, Roland

¶Berger, John

https://stateless.zone/background/#berger

(1926–2017) — cultural critic, art critic, novelist and poet; Marxist; best known for Ways of Seeing (1972) but also Booker Prize-winning novelist (G., 1972); lived among peasant farming communities in the French Alps

See also: Ways of Seeing, G., Benjamin, Walter, Barthes, Roland, Warhol, Andy, Marx, Karl

¶Berners-Lee, Tim

https://stateless.zone/background/#berners-lee

(1955–) — computer scientist, inventor of the World Wide Web

See also: ARPANET, TCP/IP, Xanadu, Nelson, Ted

¶Brainerd, Paul

https://stateless.zone/background/#brainerd

(1947–) — software entrepreneur (founder of Aldus; coined the term 'desktop publishing')

See also: Aldus Corporation, PageMaker, Desktop Publishing

¶Bricklin, Dan

https://stateless.zone/background/#bricklin

(1951–) — software developer (co-creator of VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet)

See also: VisiCalc, Frankston, Bob, Spreadsheet

¶Bush, Vannevar

https://stateless.zone/background/#bush

(1890–1974) — engineer and inventor (Memex)

See also: Memex, "As We May Think", Engelbart, Douglas, Nelson, Ted

¶Cerf, Vint

https://stateless.zone/background/#cerf

(1943–) — computer scientist (co-creator of TCP/IP)

¶Curry, Chris

https://stateless.zone/background/#curry

(1946–) — entrepreneur (co-founder of Acorn Computers)

See also: Acorn Computers, Hauser, Hermann, Wilson, Sophie, Furber, Steve, ARM Holdings

¶Dick, Philip K.

https://stateless.zone/background/#dick

(1928–1982) — novelist

¶Duchamp, Marcel

https://stateless.zone/background/#duchamp

(1887–1968) — artist

See also: Warhol, Andy, Benjamin, Walter, Read, Herbert

¶Eco, Umberto

https://stateless.zone/background/#eco

(1932–2016) — novelist and semiotician

¶Engelbart, Douglas

https://stateless.zone/background/#engelbart

(1925–2013) — inventor and pioneer (augmentation of human intellect)

See also: Mother of All Demos, Bush, Vannevar, Nelson, Ted, HyperCard

¶Faggin, Federico

https://stateless.zone/background/#faggin

(1941–) — engineer (Intel 4004; co-founder of Zilog)

See also: Intel, Zilog, Shima, Masatoshi

¶Foucault, Michel

https://stateless.zone/background/#foucault

(1926–1984) — philosopher

See also: Barthes, Roland, Baudrillard, Jean

¶Frankfurt, Harry G.

https://stateless.zone/background/#frankfurt

(1929–2023) — philosopher

¶Frankston, Bob

https://stateless.zone/background/#frankston

(1949–) — software developer (co-creator of VisiCalc)

See also: VisiCalc, Bricklin, Dan, Spreadsheet

¶Furber, Steve

https://stateless.zone/background/#furber

(1953–) — engineer (co-designer of the ARM processor at Acorn)

See also: ARM Holdings, Acorn Computers, Wilson, Sophie, Curry, Chris, Hauser, Hermann, RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)

¶Gates, Bill

https://stateless.zone/background/#gates

(1955–) — entrepreneur (Microsoft)

See also: Kildall, Gary, DOS (Disk Operating System), Digital Research

¶Gibson, William

https://stateless.zone/background/#gibson

(1948–) — novelist

See also: Sterling, Bruce, Swanwick, Michael, New Worlds, Dick, Philip K.

¶Graeber, David

https://stateless.zone/background/#graeber

(1961–2020) — anthropologist

¶Habermas, Jürgen

https://stateless.zone/background/#habermas

(1929–) — philosopher

See also: Frankfurt School, Adorno, Theodor, Horkheimer, Max

¶Hafner, Katie

https://stateless.zone/background/#hafner

— journalist and author (When Wizards Stay Up Late)

See also: When Wizards Stay Up Late, ARPANET

¶Hauser, Hermann

https://stateless.zone/background/#hauser

(1948–) — entrepreneur (co-founder of Acorn Computers)

See also: Acorn Computers, Curry, Chris, ARM Holdings, Wilson, Sophie, Furber, Steve, Saxby, Robin

¶Hayes, Dennis

https://stateless.zone/background/#hayes

— author and activist

See also: Behind the Silicon Curtain, Processed World

¶Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich

https://stateless.zone/background/#hegel

(1770–1831) — philosopher

See also: Marx, Karl, Adorno, Theodor, Kant, Immanuel

¶Hewlett, Bill

https://stateless.zone/background/#hewlett

(1913–2001) — engineer and entrepreneur (co-founder of Hewlett-Packard)

See also: Hewlett-Packard, Packard, Dave, California Garage, The

¶Hollerith, Herman

https://stateless.zone/background/#hollerith

(1860–1929) — inventor (tabulating machine; founded company that became IBM)

¶Horkheimer, Max

https://stateless.zone/background/#horkheimer

(1895–1973) — philosopher

See also: Frankfurt School, Adorno, Theodor, Habermas, Jürgen, Benjamin, Walter

¶Horn, Bruce

https://stateless.zone/background/#horn

(1957–) — software designer (Macintosh Finder; original Macintosh team)

See also: HyperCard, Atkinson, Bill, Raskin, Jef, Jobs, Steve

¶Jobs, Steve

https://stateless.zone/background/#jobs

(1955–2011) — entrepreneur and designer

See also: NeXT, NeXTSTEP, OpenStep, Raskin, Jef, Wozniak, Steve, Tevanian, Avie, Atkinson, Bill

¶Joy, Bill

https://stateless.zone/background/#joy

(1954–) — computer scientist (co-founder of Sun Microsystems; BSD Unix; vi editor; Java)

See also: Sun Microsystems, BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), SunOS, Solaris

¶Kahn, Bob

https://stateless.zone/background/#kahn

(1938–) — computer scientist (co-creator of TCP/IP)

¶Kant, Immanuel

https://stateless.zone/background/#kant

(1724–1804) — philosopher

See also: Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, Spinoza, Baruch

¶Kidder, Tracy

https://stateless.zone/background/#kidder

(1945–) — journalist and author (The Soul of a New Machine)

See also: The Soul of a New Machine, Data General

¶Kildall, Gary

https://stateless.zone/background/#kildall

(1942–1994) — computer scientist (CP/M; Digital Research)

See also: Digital Research, DOS (Disk Operating System), Gates, Bill

¶Lanier, Jaron

https://stateless.zone/background/#lanier

(1960–) — technologist, musician and critic

See also: Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Model (LLM)

¶Lispector, Clarice

https://stateless.zone/background/#lispector

(1920–1977) — novelist

¶Marsilius of Padua

https://stateless.zone/background/#marsilius

(c.1275–c.1342) — political philosopher

¶Marx, Karl

https://stateless.zone/background/#marx

(1818–1883) — philosopher and economist

See also: Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, Smith, Adam, Graeber, David, Frankfurt School, Berger, John

¶McCarthy, John

https://stateless.zone/background/#mccarthy

(1927–2011) — computer scientist (coined the term 'artificial intelligence'; Dartmouth Conference, 1956)

See also: Dartmouth Conference (1956), Artificial Intelligence, Lisp, Minsky, Marvin

¶Merleau-Ponty, Maurice

https://stateless.zone/background/#merleau-ponty

(1908–1961) — philosopher (phenomenology; perception and embodiment)

See also: Wittgenstein, Ludwig, Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich

¶Miner, Jay

https://stateless.zone/background/#miner

(1932–1994) — engineer (designer of the Amiga chipset; 'father of the Amiga')

See also: Amiga, Commodore International

¶Minsky, Marvin

https://stateless.zone/background/#minsky

(1927–2016) — cognitive scientist and AI pioneer

See also: Dartmouth Conference (1956), Artificial Intelligence, McCarthy, John, Lisp

¶Montfort, Nick

https://stateless.zone/background/#montfort

— academic and author (Twisty Little Passages)

See also: Twisty Little Passages, HyperCard, Nelson, Ted

¶Moorcock, Michael

https://stateless.zone/background/#moorcock

(1939–) — novelist

See also: Mother London, New Worlds, Ballard, J.G., Gibson, William, Sterling, Bruce

¶Moore, Gordon

https://stateless.zone/background/#moore

(1929–2023) — engineer (co-founder of Intel; Moore's Law)

See also: Moore's Law, Intel, Fairchild Semiconductor, Noyce, Robert, Traitorous Eight, The

¶Nelson, Ted

https://stateless.zone/background/#nelson

(1937–) — pioneer of hypertext and hypermedia

See also: Xanadu, Berners-Lee, Tim, Bush, Vannevar, Engelbart, Douglas, Memex

¶Noyce, Robert

https://stateless.zone/background/#noyce

(1927–1990) — engineer (co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel)

See also: Fairchild Semiconductor, Intel, Moore, Gordon, Traitorous Eight, The, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory

¶Olsen, Ken

https://stateless.zone/background/#olsen

(1926–2011) — entrepreneur (founder of Digital Equipment Corporation)

See also: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

¶Orlowski, Andrew

https://stateless.zone/background/#orlowski

— technology journalist

¶Packard, Dave

https://stateless.zone/background/#packard

(1912–1996) — engineer and entrepreneur (co-founder of Hewlett-Packard)

See also: Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett, Bill, California Garage, The

¶Pasolini, Pier Paolo

https://stateless.zone/background/#pasolini

(1922–1975) — filmmaker, poet and novelist

See also: Benjamin, Walter, Barthes, Roland

¶Peddle, Chuck

https://stateless.zone/background/#peddle

(1937–2019) — engineer (MOS Technology 6502 processor)

See also: MOS Technology, Tramiel, Jack, Commodore International, Trinity of 1977, The

¶Perens, Bruce

https://stateless.zone/background/#perens

(1958–) — open source advocate

¶Pessoa, Fernando

https://stateless.zone/background/#pessoa

(1888–1935) — poet

¶Plato

https://stateless.zone/background/#plato

(c.428–c.348 BC) — philosopher

¶Raskin, Jef

https://stateless.zone/background/#raskin

(1943–2005) — interface designer (creator of the Macintosh project)

See also: Jobs, Steve, Horn, Bruce, Atkinson, Bill, HyperCard

¶Read, Herbert

https://stateless.zone/background/#read

(1893–1968) — art critic and anarchist

See also: Benjamin, Walter, Duchamp, Marcel

¶Ritchie, Dennis

https://stateless.zone/background/#ritchie

(1941–2011) — computer scientist (co-creator of UNIX and C)

See also: UNIX, Thompson, Ken, AT&T Bell Labs

¶Saxby, Robin

https://stateless.zone/background/#saxby

(1947–) — businessman (first CEO of ARM Holdings; architect of ARM's licensing model)

See also: ARM Holdings, Acorn Computers, Hauser, Hermann

¶Shima, Masatoshi

https://stateless.zone/background/#shima

(1943–2020) — engineer (co-designer of Intel 4004; Zilog)

See also: Intel, Zilog, Faggin, Federico

¶Shockley, William

https://stateless.zone/background/#shockley

(1910–1989) — physicist (co-inventor of the transistor; Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory)

See also: Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Traitorous Eight, The, Fairchild Semiconductor

¶Sinclair, Clive

https://stateless.zone/background/#sinclair

(1940–2021) — entrepreneur (Sinclair Research)

¶Smith, Adam

https://stateless.zone/background/#smith

(1723–1790) — economist and philosopher

¶Spinoza, Baruch

https://stateless.zone/background/#spinoza

(1632–1677) — philosopher

See also: Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, Kant, Immanuel

¶Stallman, Richard

https://stateless.zone/background/#stallman

(1953–) — free software advocate

¶Sterling, Bruce

https://stateless.zone/background/#sterling

(1954–) — novelist

See also: Gibson, William, Swanwick, Michael, New Worlds

¶Swanwick, Michael

https://stateless.zone/background/#swanwick

(1950–) — novelist

See also: Gibson, William, Sterling, Bruce, New Worlds

¶Tabucchi, Antonio

https://stateless.zone/background/#tabucchi

(1943–2012) — novelist

¶Tevanian, Avie

https://stateless.zone/background/#tevanian

(1961–) — computer scientist (Mach kernel, NeXT, Apple)

¶Thompson, Ken

https://stateless.zone/background/#thompson

(1943–) — computer scientist (co-creator of UNIX)

See also: UNIX, Ritchie, Dennis, AT&T Bell Labs

¶Tramiel, Jack

https://stateless.zone/background/#tramiel

(1928–2012) — entrepreneur (Commodore)

See also: Commodore International, Commodore PET, Trinity of 1977, The, Peddle, Chuck

¶Warhol, Andy

https://stateless.zone/background/#warhol

(1928–1987) — artist (pop art; mass reproduction; used Amiga at its 1985 launch to digitise Debbie Harry's face)

See also: Amiga, Benjamin, Walter, Berger, John, Duchamp, Marcel

¶Weizenbaum, Joseph

https://stateless.zone/background/#weizenbaum

(1923–2008) — computer scientist (creator of ELIZA; critic of AI ideology)

See also: ELIZA, Computer Power and Human Reason, Artificial Intelligence

¶Wilson, Sophie

https://stateless.zone/background/#wilson

(1957–) — engineer (designed the ARM instruction set at Acorn)

See also: ARM Holdings, Acorn Computers, Furber, Steve, Curry, Chris, Hauser, Hermann, RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)

¶Wittgenstein, Ludwig

https://stateless.zone/background/#wittgenstein

(1889–1951) — philosopher

¶Wozniak, Steve

https://stateless.zone/background/#wozniak

(1950–) — engineer (Apple co-founder)

See also: Jobs, Steve, Apple II, Trinity of 1977, The

Periodicals

¶New Worlds

https://stateless.zone/background/#new-worlds

Science fiction magazine (associated with Michael Moorcock as editor); central to the British New Wave SF scene that also featured Ballard, and influenced Gibson, Sterling and Swanwick

See also: Moorcock, Michael, Ballard, J.G., Gibson, William, Sterling, Bruce, Swanwick, Michael

¶Processed World

https://stateless.zone/background/#processed-world

Magazine (San Francisco; labour and technology criticism; associated with Dennis Hayes)

See also: Hayes, Dennis, Behind the Silicon Curtain

¶The Register

https://stateless.zone/background/#register

Technology news publication (founded 1994; associated with Andrew Orlowski among others)

Software

¶Adobe Creative Suite

https://stateless.zone/background/#adobe-creative-suite

Software bundle (Adobe; encompasses Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and others)

See also: Adobe, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign

¶Adobe Flash

https://stateless.zone/background/#adobe-flash

Software platform (multimedia and animation)

See also: Adobe, Macromedia Director, Lingo

¶Adobe Illustrator

https://stateless.zone/background/#adobe-illustrator

Vector graphics software (Adobe)

See also: Adobe, Altsys, Macromedia FreeHand, Adobe Creative Suite

¶Adobe InDesign

https://stateless.zone/background/#adobe-indesign

Desktop publishing software (Adobe; successor to PageMaker)

See also: Adobe, PageMaker, QuarkXPress, Desktop Publishing, Adobe Creative Suite

¶Adobe Photoshop

https://stateless.zone/background/#adobe-photoshop

Image editing software (Adobe; Thomas and John Knoll, 1988)

¶ARPANET

https://stateless.zone/background/#arpanet

Precursor network to the internet (US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, 1969)

See also: TCP/IP, Cerf, Vint, Kahn, Bob, Berners-Lee, Tim, When Wizards Stay Up Late

¶BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)

https://stateless.zone/background/#bsd

Operating system derived from UNIX

See also: UNIX, Joy, Bill, AT&T Bell Labs, Thompson, Ken, Ritchie, Dennis

¶DOS (Disk Operating System)

https://stateless.zone/background/#dos

Operating system category; includes MS-DOS (Microsoft) and PC-DOS (IBM)

See also: Gates, Bill, Kildall, Gary, Digital Research, IBM

¶ELIZA

https://stateless.zone/background/#eliza

Chatbot software (Joseph Weizenbaum, 1966; early natural language processing)

See also: Weizenbaum, Joseph, Computer Power and Human Reason, Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Model (LLM)

¶HyperCard

https://stateless.zone/background/#hypercard

Software (Apple, 1987; created by Bill Atkinson); pioneering hypermedia environment for personal computers

See also: Atkinson, Bill, HyperTalk, Horn, Bruce, Raskin, Jef, Nelson, Ted, Engelbart, Douglas, Lingo

¶HyperTalk

https://stateless.zone/background/#hypertalk

Programming language (HyperCard)

See also: HyperCard, Atkinson, Bill, Lingo

¶Lingo

https://stateless.zone/background/#lingo

Programming language (Macromedia Director)

See also: Macromedia Director, HyperTalk, LiveCode (formerly Runtime Revolution)

¶Lisp

https://stateless.zone/background/#lisp

Programming language (John McCarthy, 1958; foundational to AI research)

See also: McCarthy, John, Lisp machines (concept), Lisp Machines Inc., Symbolics, Python

¶LiveCode (formerly Runtime Revolution)

https://stateless.zone/background/#livecode

Software environment

¶Macromedia Director

https://stateless.zone/background/#macromedia-director

Multimedia authoring software (formerly MacroMind Director)

See also: Lingo, Adobe Flash, Macromedia FreeHand

¶Macromedia FreeHand

https://stateless.zone/background/#freehand

Vector graphics software (Altsys/Aldus/Macromedia; rival to Illustrator)

See also: Altsys, Aldus Corporation, Adobe Illustrator

¶NeXTSTEP

https://stateless.zone/background/#nextstep

Operating system (NeXT)

See also: NeXT, Jobs, Steve, Tevanian, Avie, OpenStep, UNIX

¶OpenStep

https://stateless.zone/background/#openstep

Operating system (NeXT/Apple)

¶PageMaker

https://stateless.zone/background/#pagemaker

Desktop publishing software (Aldus, 1985; later Adobe; pioneered desktop publishing on Mac)

See also: Aldus Corporation, Brainerd, Paul, Adobe, Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, Desktop Publishing

¶Python

https://stateless.zone/background/#python

Programming language

¶QuarkXPress

https://stateless.zone/background/#quarkxpress

Desktop publishing software (Quark Inc., 1987; dominant DTP application through the 1990s; largely displaced by Adobe InDesign in the 2000s)

See also: Adobe InDesign, PageMaker, Desktop Publishing

¶Solaris

https://stateless.zone/background/#solaris

Operating system (Sun Microsystems; successor to SunOS)

See also: Sun Microsystems, SunOS, Joy, Bill, UNIX

¶SunOS

https://stateless.zone/background/#sunos

Operating system (Sun Microsystems)

See also: Sun Microsystems, Solaris, Joy, Bill, UNIX, BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)

¶UNIX

https://stateless.zone/background/#unix

Operating system (Bell Labs, 1969; Thompson and Ritchie)

See also: Thompson, Ken, Ritchie, Dennis, AT&T Bell Labs, BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), NeXTSTEP, SunOS, Solaris

¶VisiCalc

https://stateless.zone/background/#visicalc

First commercial spreadsheet (Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, 1979)

See also: Bricklin, Dan, Frankston, Bob, Spreadsheet

Texts

¶"As We May Think"

https://stateless.zone/background/#as-we-may-think

Essay (Vannevar Bush, 1945; origin of the Memex concept; foundational text for hypertext, the web, and personal computing)

See also: Bush, Vannevar, Memex, Engelbart, Douglas, Nelson, Ted, Xanadu

¶Behind the Silicon Curtain

https://stateless.zone/background/#behind-silicon-curtain

Book (Dennis Hayes, 1989)

See also: Hayes, Dennis, Processed World

¶Computer Power and Human Reason

https://stateless.zone/background/#computer-power

Book (Joseph Weizenbaum, 1976; critique of AI ideology)

See also: Weizenbaum, Joseph, ELIZA, Artificial Intelligence

¶G.

https://stateless.zone/background/#g-novel

Novel (John Berger, 1972; Booker Prize winner; Berger donated half the prize money to the Black Panther Party)

¶Mother London

https://stateless.zone/background/#mother-london

Novel (Michael Moorcock)

See also: Moorcock, Michael, New Worlds, Ballard, J.G.

¶The Hour of the Star

https://stateless.zone/background/#hour-of-star

Novel (Clarice Lispector)

¶The Soul of a New Machine

https://stateless.zone/background/#soul-of-new-machine

Book (Tracy Kidder, 1981; Pulitzer Prize; account of the development of a Data General minicomputer)

See also: Kidder, Tracy, Data General, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

¶The Unix Hater's Handbook

https://stateless.zone/background/#unix-haters

Book (Garfinkel, Weise, Strassmann, 1994)

¶Twisty Little Passages

https://stateless.zone/background/#twisty-passages

Book (Nick Montfort, MIT Press, 2003; history and theory of interactive fiction)

See also: Montfort, Nick, HyperCard, Nelson, Ted

¶VALIS

https://stateless.zone/background/#valis

Novel (Philip K. Dick)

¶Vermilion Sands

https://stateless.zone/background/#vermilion-sands

Short story collection (J.G. Ballard)

¶Ways of Seeing

https://stateless.zone/background/#ways-of-seeing

Book and BBC television series (John Berger, 1972; landmark work of art criticism and cultural theory)

See also: Berger, John, G., Benjamin, Walter, Barthes, Roland, Warhol, Andy, Duchamp, Marcel

¶When Wizards Stay Up Late

https://stateless.zone/background/#when-wizards

Book (Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon, 1996; history of the creation of ARPANET)

See also: Hafner, Katie, ARPANET, Cerf, Vint, Kahn, Bob