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Facilitated Evolution: A Bootstrapping Strategy

Doug Engelbart
This event took place on 29th October 2001 at 4:00pm (16:00 GMT)
Berrill Lecture Theatre, The Open University, Walton Hall Campus, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
* The mouse and cursor
* Multiple windows
* Interactive, display-based text editing
* Hypermedia linking
* Shared whiteboards
* Outline processing
* Context-sensitive help
* Networked folders

Features that we and our students now take for granted were unheard of before Doug Engelbart's research programme into "Augmented Human Intellect". This led to a revolutionary vision of computer-support for intellectual work, "to boost mankind's collective capability for coping with complex, urgent problems." His 'strange' notion of interactive digital tools was prototyped years ahead of its time in the 1960s, and presented in an astounding 1968 public demonstration that also anticipated online journals and 2-way video teleconferencing. Many of his ideas have yet to be implemented today.

Computing pioneer and visionary Alan Kay declared, "I don't know what Silicon Valley will do when it runs out of Doug's ideas."

We are therefore delighted that while visiting KMi, Doug has accepted our invitation to give an open lecture to the OU. Take this opportunity to come and hear not only one of computing's true pioneers, but someone who (like the OU) has fought against ridicule and accepted wisdom on "how things should bein the world of learning and knowledge sharing.

Doug will present some of the history and ongoing work of the Bootstrap Institute that continues his mission to provide better (open source) tools for intellectual work. This will connect not only with OU concerns with teaching, but also with growing interest in co-evolving organizational knowledge processes and technologies.

Doug will present some of the history and ongoing work of the Bootstrap Institute that continues his mission to provide better (open source) tools for intellectual work, co-evolved with better organisational processes. This will connect not only with OU concerns with teaching, but also with growing interest in the OU as a 'learning organisation'.

Background Information / Reading:

Bootstrap Institute: http://www.bootstrap.org.

The 1998 Demo
Introduction.
Video.
Audio interview clips.

Bibliography: http://www.bootstrap.org/institute/bibliography.html.

The Augmentation Framework: http://www.histech.rwth-aachen.de/www/quellen/engelbart/ahi62index.html.

Co-evolving organizational technology and processes: http://www.bootstrap.org/augdocs/augment-132811.htm.

Archive: http://www.histech.rwth-aachen.de/www/quellen.html.

The webcast was open to 200 users

Click below to play the event (69 minutes)