User:Lieven Van Speybroeck/Reading/Theory/Kay&Goldberg Personal Dynamic Media

Notes on Alan Kay's & Adele Golberg's Personal Dynamic Media (1977)

• Dynabook: a vision of the 'true' personal computer ~ modern laptops/notebooks today
• Although thinking goes on in one's head, external media serve to materialize thoughts and, through feedback, to augment the actual paths the thinking follows.
• Human interaction with classic media (newspapers, television, movies,...) > primarily passive (one-way: media to receiver) -> static
• Every message is, in one sense or another, a simulation of some idea. The essence of a medium is very much dependent on the way messages are embedded, changed and viewed ((and vice versa?) ~ McLuhan)
• Computer as metamedium > true interaction between user and medium (two-way: media to user and vice versa)
• kids as the initial goal user group (fun!)
• interim Dynabook: use of Smalltalk programming language
• Description of characteristics/functions/examples:

  Output devices

  Input devices (mouse: ~ Bootstrapping!)

  Applications (painting, drawing, filing, editing, animation, music ..)

  Fonts (~ text quality, moods, effects, eyecandy,...)

• High expectations for the use/development of the Dynabook
  • problematics of accessibility/usergroup focus: would it get too versatile/accessible/felxible and destroy itself as a useable, democratic medium?

  -> matter of communication/feedback: give users the chance to describe their desires for a specific tool

  -> provide an implemented set of standard tools so people can use the medium immediately