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I have heard of it. I wasn’t really trying to draw specific parallels between Acme and Smalltalk as similar editing environments. I was just lamenting that two

I have heard of it. I wasn’t really trying to draw specific parallels between Acme and Smalltalk as similar editing environments. I was just lamenting that two of the most interesting pieces of software I’ve used recently are both older than me, and very little except for efforts to recreate those systems exactly on modern hardware has quite the same feeling of freedom and creativity. They really feel like they are there for you to mold into what you need a computer to be, not tell you how to use a computer. It’s probably not fair to say that we’ve lost a capacity or appreciation for creativity and novel ideas. In sheer volume, there are probably more people doing XeroxPARC level crazy stuff now than then. It just feels like way more investments are made to copy the thing someone else is doing but tweak it slightly than on truly large moonshots. Part of this is probably the homogenization cause by mass, instant communication, and not forcing you to wonder, how did they do that, and how would I do it differently. It’s a double edged sword though. Hell, I feel like part of the reason some of this stuff didn’t catch fire and spread was because of the limited ability to share and talk with people too. I don’t know what the right answer is. I just want more cool shit.

infinite8s 3y ago
> In sheer volume, there are probably more people doing XeroxPARC level crazy stuff now than then. I'm not sure about that. From the Computer History Museum's 50th anniversary event of the Alto two days ago, each Alto cost about 18k in early 1970s dollars (about 100k today). And they built hundreds of them. Not sure anyone has the budget to do the level of crazy work that would require the equivalent amount of future computer power today.
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
  I think the point that you don't need that level of money anymore. You could do the same level of exotic software on a Raspberry Pi for 50 bucks.
  - infinite8s 3y ago
    That's because you are thinking equivalent in terms of results. I'm thinking equivalent in terms of ambition. The point I was making is that doing the equivalent level of 'crazy' work (for it was crazy, the idea of giving everyone the equivalent of a personal pdp-11 in those days) requires equivalent levels of funding. It's just that most people can't imagine what could be computed on a $100k equivalent of computing today. For all of us who grew up in the days of personal computing, it's hard to imagine that what they accomplished as being crazy.

infinite8s 3y ago

> In sheer volume, there are probably more people doing XeroxPARC level crazy stuff now than then. I'm not sure about that. From the Computer History Museum's 50th anniversary event of the Alto two days ago, each Alto cost about 18k in early 1970s dollars (about 100k today). And they built hundreds of them. Not sure anyone has the budget to do the level of crazy work that would require the equivalent amount of future computer power today.

yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
I think the point that you don't need that level of money anymore. You could do the same level of exotic software on a Raspberry Pi for 50 bucks.
- infinite8s 3y ago
  That's because you are thinking equivalent in terms of results. I'm thinking equivalent in terms of ambition. The point I was making is that doing the equivalent level of 'crazy' work (for it was crazy, the idea of giving everyone the equivalent of a personal pdp-11 in those days) requires equivalent levels of funding. It's just that most people can't imagine what could be computed on a $100k equivalent of computing today. For all of us who grew up in the days of personal computing, it's hard to imagine that what they accomplished as being crazy.