The Mother of All Demos
Encyclopedia
The Mother of All Demos is a name given to Douglas Engelbart's
December 9, 1968, demonstration of experimental computer technologies that are now commonplace. The live demonstration featured the introduction of the computer mouse, video conferencing, teleconferencing
, hypertext
, word processing
, hypermedia
, object addressing and dynamic file linking
, bootstrapping
, and a collaborative real-time editor.
Engelbart, with the help of his geographically distributed team, demonstrated the workings of the NLS
("oN Line System") to the 1,000 computer professionals in attendance. The project was the result of work done at SRI International
's Augmentation Research Center
, and the session was presented under the title A research center for augmenting human intellect as part of the Fall Joint Computer Conference at the Convention Center
in San Francisco. Bill English
is listed as the co-author of the conference paper of the same name and is acknowledged as one of the principal engineers responsible for NLS and the demo.
The term "Mother of All Demos" references "The Mother of All Battles," a name used by Iraq
i dictator Saddam Hussein
to describe the 1991 Gulf War
; the term "the mother of all
" subsequently became a widely used stock phrase or snowclone
. The first known usage of the phrase was in journalist Steven Levy
's 1994 book, Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer That Changed Everything :
Subsequently, Andries van Dam
repeated the phrase in a speech at the 1998 Engelbart's Unfinished Revolution Conference (opening of Session 3), and the phrase was also cited in John Markoff's 2005 book What the Dormouse Said
.
Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Carl Engelbart is an American inventor, and an early computer and internet pioneer. He is best known for his work on the challenges of human-computer interaction, resulting in the invention of the computer mouse, and the development of hypertext, networked computers, and precursors to GUIs...
December 9, 1968, demonstration of experimental computer technologies that are now commonplace. The live demonstration featured the introduction of the computer mouse, video conferencing, teleconferencing
Teleconference
A teleconference or teleseminar is the live exchange and mass articulation of information among several persons and machines remote from one another but linked by a telecommunications system...
, hypertext
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
, word processing
Word processing
Word processing is the creation of documents using a word processor. It can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in specialized contexts with a specially modified typewriter.-External links:...
, hypermedia
Hypermedia
Hypermedia is a computer-based information retrieval system that enables a user to gain or provide access to texts, audio and video recordings, photographs and computer graphics related to a particular subject.Hypermedia is a term created by Ted Nelson....
, object addressing and dynamic file linking
Dynamic linker
In computing, a dynamic linker is the part of an operating system that loads and links the shared libraries for an executable when it is executed. The specific operating system and executable format determine how the dynamic linker functions and how it is implemented...
, bootstrapping
Bootstrapping
Bootstrapping or booting refers to a group of metaphors that share a common meaning: a self-sustaining process that proceeds without external help....
, and a collaborative real-time editor.
Engelbart, with the help of his geographically distributed team, demonstrated the workings of the NLS
NLS (computer system)
NLS, or the "oN-Line System", was a revolutionary computer collaboration system designed by Douglas Engelbart and implemented by researchers at the Augmentation Research Center at the Stanford Research Institute during the 1960s...
("oN Line System") to the 1,000 computer professionals in attendance. The project was the result of work done at SRI International
SRI International
SRI International , founded as Stanford Research Institute, is one of the world's largest contract research institutes. Based in Menlo Park, California, the trustees of Stanford University established it in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic development in the region. It was later...
's Augmentation Research Center
Augmentation Research Center
Stanford Research Institute's Augmentation Research Center was founded in the 1960s by electrical engineer Douglas Engelbart to develop and experiment with new tools and techniques for collaboration and information processing. The main product to come out of ARC was the revolutionary oN-Line...
, and the session was presented under the title A research center for augmenting human intellect as part of the Fall Joint Computer Conference at the Convention Center
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
in San Francisco. Bill English
Bill English (computer engineer)
William "Bill" English is a computer engineer who contributed to the development of the computer mouse while working for Douglas Engelbart at SRI International's Augmentation Research Center. He left SRI in 1971 and headed to Xerox PARC, where he managed the Office Systems Research Group...
is listed as the co-author of the conference paper of the same name and is acknowledged as one of the principal engineers responsible for NLS and the demo.
The term "Mother of All Demos" references "The Mother of All Battles," a name used by Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i dictator Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
to describe the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
; the term "the mother of all
The mother of all
The mother of all... has become a stock phrase in English-language public discourse and popular culture. It implies the largest or most significant example of a class, which completely overshadows all other cases in the class...
" subsequently became a widely used stock phrase or snowclone
Snowclone
A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different variants"....
. The first known usage of the phrase was in journalist Steven Levy
Steven Levy
Steven Levy is an American journalist who has written several books on computers, technology, cryptography, the Internet, cybersecurity, and privacy.-Career:...
's 1994 book, Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer That Changed Everything :
"... a calming voice from Mission Control as the truly final frontier whizzed before their eyes. It was the mother of all demos. Engelbart's support staff was as elaborate as one would find at a modern Grateful Dead concert. ..." - Insanely Great, page 42
Subsequently, Andries van Dam
Andries van Dam
Andries "Andy" van Dam is a Dutch-born American professor of computer science and former Vice-President for Research at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Together with Ted Nelson he contributed to the first hypertext system, HES in the late 1960s. He co-authored Computer Graphics:...
repeated the phrase in a speech at the 1998 Engelbart's Unfinished Revolution Conference (opening of Session 3), and the phrase was also cited in John Markoff's 2005 book What the Dormouse Said
What the Dormouse Said
What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry, is a 2005 non-fiction book by John Markoff. The book details the history of the personal computer, closely tying the ideologies of the Collaboration-driven, World War II-era defense research community to...
.
Further reading
- Bardini, Thierry. Bootstrapping: Douglas Engelbart, Coevolution, and the Origins of Personal Computing. Stanford CA: Stanford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0804738718
External links
- A copy of the original 1968 Engelbart 1968 FJCC session flyer
- "The Demo" on MouseSite - a Stanford University website including streaming video of the demo, background, links, archival reports and papers, etc.
- 1968 Demo - Doug Engelbart Institute web page devoted to the event, including background information, resources, links, etc.
- Engelbart's 1968 demo - a brief review of What the Dormouse Said followed by an authorized excerpt focused on the Demo.
- Published citations for Engelbart, D. & English, W. (1968). A research center for augmenting human intellect. AFIPS Fall Joint Computer Conference. p. 295-410
- The programming languages behind "the mother of all demos"
- Doug Engelbart Institute website - extensive information and resources on Doug and his work.
- The Invisible Revolution is a documentary about Doug Engelbart.
- Englebart's Unfinished Revolution 40th anniversary symposium archive at Stanford University