STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE D. C. Engelbart - PDF document

STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE D. C. Engelbart iiithe being. A explores the nature of the system composed of the individual and the tools, concepts, and methods iv vCONTENTS viL viiILLUSTRATIONSFIGTWO ACTIVE DOMAINS WYSTEMFRESULTS OF TBPENCIL TO ÒDE-AUGMENTÓ THE IFAESEARCH PROGRAM 1AUGMENTING HUMAN INTELLECTsituation, to gain suit his and to derivesolutions to problems. Increased this respect is taken to mean a theprofessional problems of diplomats, executives, socialand the human a co-exist with powerful concepts, urgency 2used in the past to help man apply his native sensory, mental, and to our society, and like most systems itsof the*contains thethat any one such be trigger a chain of* 3improvements; that until every one of these disciplines comes to a standstill and we have exhaustedaa for pursuingWe see the quickest gains (1) giving the human the 4upon the computer's help. By this same strategy, we recommend that an initial effortofgive the reader an what sort of thing this side; this is his working surface, and is adoing--a neat in the itself 5Ignoring the the display, the begins to enter a series ofspecifications and data--a six-inch slab floor, twelve-inch concrete walls eight feet high within thewindow will occupy thisbuilding, and the daily sequences of their activtites. The ÒclerkÓ allows him to follow each in turn, 6manual for the building. Loading this tape into his own clerk, another architect, a builder, or theIn such a future working relationship between human problem-solver and computer 'clerk,'many other displayingcan be of the human in ofindividual's basic (1) (3) 7That it reveal areas where research is possible and ways to assess the research, be a basisTwo points need emphasis here. First, although a has beenof future improved systems would be highly in our 8AUGMENTING HUMAN INTELLECTorient us toward the real problemsan how present effectiveness, and thisis of remembering, visualizing, abstracting, basic does not possess our background of and procedure, cannot proper necessary to drive a car 9Our culture has evolved means us to we can do with our basic objects designed to provide for human comfort, for the his artifacts, language, and methodology. The system we 10 process .us consider suchexamples as making a pencil stroke, writing a letter of the alphabet, or making a plan. Quite a fewthe process- 11happens, then, is that each a processwhich he selects and adapts those that will compose the processes that hemethods, strategies, and rules of thumb for making use of them. the process find three process a process are those possessed by using Lauguage,has the that performs themodels. Consider the process of writing anis a this process -- that of to a set of people for a of 12 be using a set of process such as the following planning, matter,least use of paper artifacts)' and there many would not be the a seventh is the habit, strategy, rules of thumb, 13To illustrate the capability-hierarchy features of our let us consider anartifact innovation appearing directly within the relatively low-order capability for composing andmodifying written text, and see how this can instance, your) more a new process of composing text. Forof thoughts in any order, with the foregoing thoughts continuously 14one can down tried to exhaust the of making usefulof this way of of your tasks would change 15 old and exist throughout the a Òsystem-Individuals who our human sensing stimuli, performing numerous the language, artifacts, and(among others) of the of solvingthe 16this or near-future, our professional problem- 17guide the product new taking long-range the more 1. The Source of of take us down through perhaps three levels 18the computer'sFor a show us diagrams it is a upon which this would seem to be . The Unabridged , Second Edition) the Ò...cooperative action of discrete agencies such that the total effectis the sum of the two effects taken independently...Ó This term seems 19a supporting (or which the synergisticprinciple gives increased phenomenological each organization. In particular, the a human being, derived the 2. term our goal ofthethe the resulting in which the 20 3. System a the which a human beingcooperates, the term been used for some years to represent the 21existed for centuries, ever since humans began using our present study lies within the system, with the 4. Concepts, Symbols, and a Hypothesis in the our Concept --Humans rose above the lower forms of life byevolving the concepts. They 22 Symbol --Humans made another great step forward when they for instance, the in herding twenty- seven 23 (3) Manual, External, Symbol towarddoing his 24to be another factor to consider in theby whichour 25way of viewing the changes that we our easily, coupled to a display within which it couldhelpful services--wecould imagine both simple and exotic varieties--and could involve concepts that we 26hypotheses richness in the new opened bythe Neo-Whorfian hypothesis that would reduce our allowed anthus performed the followingexperiment.were not deal with it. We fastened a a brick andthing, the record keeping that enables the 27 28and perhaps to discourage a good many people from even working at upon the this hypothesis, the following be considered, of small and to bethe less than three fortunes ofand public evolvedwould our change to take this new 29for their seems consider the 5. Hierarchy The our possessing a is Basi c Ò of the basic ask yourself if it can beusefully changed by any means that can be given the 30to what possible changes within the can be given seriousits higher actions would perhaps be the processes whereby strength could be 31 b Structure Types 1) General The principle in the basicwhich the organization of a group of elements produces an effect greater than the mere addition oftheir individual effects. Perhaps ÒpurposefulÓ structuring (or organization) would serve us as well,we shallseveral of each type is a 32We use the terms Òsymbol structuringÓ, Structuring the humansome kind ofto develop his to the state from which the 33of his to the point where the behavior derived there from by his amount from outside the human toward developing his mental structure. Independent students anda manner analogous to (a)a garden, where one provides a good environment, plants the take theirof the research toward dependingentirely upon empirical findings (past and future) for the development of better means to serve thethat we and that derive behavior 343) Concept Structuring and the within call. as something whichgiven unit of be imparted, there is a (which can beinto a corresponding which provides the basis for that individual's 35structures that when mapped into a will his Symbol Structuring and symbol structures . Words structured into paragraphs,others for human to search out andaa 36ordering all the that bear upon of thesymbols and portrayals to us on a symbol structures stored in notebooks, memos, and theneed be none of our concern, assuming that it can portray symbolof his possible 37convolutions and can learn to shape to represent to a humanthis its own in thestructure designed for his quick and theways of working are but to freeourselves from some of our and begin of Process Structuring process structuring. 38As we are it, the term process structuring includes the organization, study,process structures. Many of them are the Physical Structuring Physical structuring is nearly self-explanatory. It pretty well represents the our the various types of structuring which are involved in the 39his process structuring (through symbol structuring), which is through much todevelop improvements in concept and mental-structure manipulations that can in turn enable us towhois provided him. These new concepts and our present 40 c. Roles and Levels work scheduler, the In the of find those used forwe find the the toward the of picking up the saying hello. It was the that 41particular situation in which it is to be executed, even before beginning to plan the execution, maygreat number ofprocesses. Assume that the human is in the middle of the process of making a telephone call. Thatonly does the human need to play various roles thewe have never 42 d. of Superstructure it as though it were a network of subcontractors in which eachturn. At the this those do because humans do notsolving 43single the wholesuperstructure, time- sharing his attention and talents over these many tasks. Today this individualproblem solutions do not standpath; instead, up and plans shift asrespond to the changes by restudying the situation, changing his plans, changing theand process structuring that the Role 44 both problemsolutions are being require the symbolmeans humans today for symbolin the the subject present are continuouslythem with the the 45manipulated as entities, upon the symbology used to represent them, upon the artifacts that help toof composing and working with symbol structures processes very Compound Effects a compounded effect. The have theaugmentation means to individual characteristics. The compounding effect of fundamental human 46of a bythese processes (observable by another, includesour the our It may be that the first stages of research on 47The which we have evolved to orient and guide the pursuit ofincreasing man's intellectual effectiveness has been des cribed in the foregoing sections in a ratherto be done into provide a the part of the reader for the richness and power of thecan in our Many of the straightin the newEach of the examples will show a facet of how the little steps that the human can take withto accomplish significant things in the way of achieving comprehension and solving problems. Thisas we have shown in Section be viewed as the five of 48andsignificantly within the framework which we have developed was written by Vannevar Bush(6) in 1. What Bush proposed in 1945 problem--storage, retrieval, and and by our methods of reviewing theas new and powerful into are plenty of 49make a very for theand published requiring a the projectscomputing aids (which have been surpassed by subsequent development) that allow the individualhis the tasks of and theverbal symbols (perhaps binary)their relationships. They employ a symbolism which grew like Topsy and has way of full machine help for the manipulations associated with the human's real time process of mathematical 50artificiality of systems of indexing.Ó He observes the power of the associative recall which humana which an all his andcommunications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceedingconsists of a while it can presumably be athe devoted to 51into place. Business the same path. And there isposition while he calls up another. He can add andof present-daygadgetry. If affords an however, to 52below the corresponding code space.fora book. It is though the physical items had beenand ties the two together. Thus he 53forms of appear, a mesh ofassociative trails running through them, ready to be dropped into the memex and thereof hisclient's interest. The physician, its patient's reactions, strikes the chemist, struggling with the synthesis of an organic compound, has all theskip stops only at the and can follow at any theand undergoing rapid development, as has been done here. advent of the In order that the not be toocommonplace, by reason of sticking to present-day patterns, it may be well to mentionÒAll our steps in creating or absorbing material of the record proceed throughknow that when the eye the consequent 54from which it is broadcast. We know further that if we canwhich is being transmitted, just as a may be tapped for itsmessage.the human transforms back to thea couple of the skull the produces pen-and-ink traces which bear some the now onepast and analyze more completely and objectively his present problems. He has built ahe does not need to have 55at which to 2. shallfiles he describes at some length provide a and portray Any file is a symbolthem useful to the needs of the to do 56powerful and the a master which such 3. Some with Cards and new structuring processes can be made an hand An Note and File System ideas, are a givenmaster card with descriptors 57have been taken, or the serial number corresponding to an whom theof the indexing or sorting used here is new: notecards represent much more than just an in They provide a 58If I another can register my b. on the System helps me concepts of worth to me. Thisthe 59 us go further with discussing examples means for would both be very useful and probably obneed arose quite trains ofadd a the sensing slot. An 60 within the d. An Usage and Further System groups (which I shall 61be used as finalstatements.words from one card to another, thus 62associations. For instance, when several upon a given productcards andwith and with 63(language, artifacts, improving theeffective ness of professional problem solvers. However, the technological trends of today foretella muchcould research based upon that 4 A Summary of Computer 64such toany new and part of the or part of the 65are a abstraction. have been evolved in several fields business processing) that rather so that or process structures from which there has derived awhich stem results that are very 66Memex--i.e., each substructure contains the necessary (9) by Yngve, Perlis andhumanthought processes), where the emphasis is upon the model and its behavior, and the other of tryingfortheir 67accesscontinuously (about three feet indiameter), with the sur faces. The discs are stacked with enough spacea 68tape reels at $50 each holding about five thebe arranged on the screen, with as to size, and 69The amount of usable information on such a screen, in the form of letters, numbers, and diagrams,costs of such displays are now quite high--ranging from $20,000 to a 70Also, a has been made toward servicea fast and as a run aroundbe course, much larger 5. Thought and Work When we began our search, we found a great deal of literature which put forth thought and 71would report, presents does not Ulam (16) has Ramo has given a number of talks the future computers for Òextending man's intellect,Ó and wrote several articles (18,19) His projections seem 72in making a the growth and men, mechanisms, and automata. He coined the term the people, mechanisms, plant or several efforts that we have heard about, but for which there are interaction for some years. We have a 73computer. JOHNNIAC Open-ShopWe choose to present those can the portrayingandprocess structuring will prove to be symbol 1. Background 74present stage. We assume that you approach this what goes on. He on 75the cord the pen is again in position. There is thus a effort,movement, and time involved in turning to work on tubes. You ask yourself why you 76 shallow if he some understanding of these basic of the 2. 77to have in they would to gain equaldiagrams and thekeysets at all like the human justwhere using in the normal fashion would be so 78of 79 3. present the neat, no-gap, to back. 80strings paragraphs, fragments thereof), readjustwhat the expression methods for 81 4. Structuring an to any set of Ôproductthem outbut this doesnÕt its nature isso on following in that order--this is a serial structuring of our symbols. Perhaps each 82making and usingstructuring, symbol structuring andJoe tells you that you are to develop an somewhere--you assume Joe knows 83paths, and criss-crossed yourself a few supposed to be instead ofYou knew that some the you do. This impressive new things.Ó has been about little things-- 84ideas begin to take shape, and you can the work them into shape. You this 85ÒWhen you look at a given statement in the middle of your argument structure, there are a numbersaying that you threethe words of aestablish between and of to display a set of linked substructures with any the to do the structuring 86with some lines when you were 87them stand out to your eye--just by requesting the do this for all much interested in seeing the serial listing of all of the statements, and he made another request ofthe screen. The subject to the the frame, and the then had you order of thesewanted to strengthen your links to these consequents--just turn around the arrows on the 88a few minutes (with your help)your argument, and the lines are Point to any node, give a couple of strokes on the keyset, and thein which you them listed, and have the 89you scan the you are lower 5. General Symbol Structuring years--the statements, sketches, computations, substructures--the statements the ments--and haveso on. But at any such level, the manner in which thethe kernels of be tagged, portrayed, studied and 90its substructures, new substructures he wants to add, and thus define a new 91that the working over a journal getof theeven if you find his structure left in theorder. Some of these 92sturdy members of our structure, and are duly tagged as to source so that 6. Process Structuring uneducated. sequence for presenting the features of ourto be sure I was was going to process of giving you a It is a rather the have for 93solverto have this we find that designing and process structuring our research guys in the early phases of our of course, the which we which ourthat a 94about using the tools, and that they provide for much finding ALGOL, for up the requiredprocess structure by that language. Each a givenpowerful statements, or in gaining quick state ments, by diagramming them and using special links between the different parts. ÒLook here.ÕÓ And he wentto compose these the 95it gets from the necessary symbol components of the statement. The this way of laying it out, and anÒThis is the next in the process structure. It consists of lists ofevolved out of the program out of our 96of this of what wehe is new process structure or changing anexisting one, he needs to structure the reasoning behind the design. We havecesses based upon these rules can be said to thesestatements and to do operations based upon this meaning. The result is that the computer is able to 97how to get the computer to decide whether or not some types of design specificatlons are met, andand includes, of course, the possiblehave been with English for that describe Thisanswer veryuseful questions for us.ÒBut to be more that setting up objectives, deslgning a method ofapproach, and then implementing that method are of course our fundamental operating sequence--of our what the 98structural difference was between computer processes and composite processes. But perhaps moreof the humanÕs displays some questions to beanswered. From these answers, together with its normal monitoring data, the program can providewith a 99as we which instance, every basic which a given 100would the Comparison with other working domainsand shaping, and about thetechniques. 101vacuum, metallurgy, and humanThere would be a help whenever you requested it. Helead you quickly to some in his discovered that usually a 102great deal morejudgment, and letÕs turn back to the working domain which we are considering here. It is anintellectual one, where the processing and shaping done is of thanthe processes and there is also acorrespondingly large list of in the the 103ofactivity in our system, you see.ÒBut back to the topic of tools, and the analogy of the inventor who was given theprecision enables the answer to guide you to it use manytheir they come equipped with data. Furthermore, we are provided with other tools that help uswhere we can design and build our own tools from scratch, or by 104of breaking down a complex problem into humanly manageable steps--and this is essentially whatand in assumptions and objectives. WhatÕs more, IÕm notof lists, the be doing at that time, gives a surprisingly contented, eager, andobserved instudents when they were given provided continuous 105The initial, straightforward capabilities for manipulating symbol structures, that were more or lessfully upon the computerÕs are veryus as 7. having several people work working stations that can provide inter-on the same symbol structure, wherever they any two want to worksimultaneously on the same material, they simply duplicate and each starts reshaping his version--seldom do you have to ÔlistenÕ to the personthat signals a point of must 106to represent, where one his very well unless the be stated and framed in histhe three working this is a new and 107 8. Concepts ÒI have dragged you through a lot of different concepts and methods so far. I havenÕt beensome of them display those withThe structure arguments get the that an as sociology, biology, law. 108so that they could learning improved out by aresearch group such as ours here. our our 1 phase relations,and named how one term could relate to the other as either biasing it, being a tool used to study it,1 Classification and 109required fewer members, and on the other hand that we could get help from the these should thethe terms in a if you wish--had been given furtherthan those I showed you earlier, to remove hindered theof the which has evolved. It is also uponseveral other developments. One of these other from the concepts and22 The of 110Bagley3his research psychologists had worked on human-new category. LetÕs say that I have good definition. In fact, I want a thefew more strokes3 111the second frame. He studied it a moment, then looked at thestatements above, picked out a node on the network with the pen, and hit the keyset a few strokes.with an 112concept. The name itself was as well as to have a structure that goes with its is the definition, asthat we could consider designing our own 113for you and they think they see ways to Clerk structure to redundancy. The Clerk can also point out some of thethe human when he isstudying the structure. 114methods. And apparently, it had a surprisingly positive was designed to give you a feel for the sort of future our 115factors which are subject to in pursuit of an thatthe possi promise the hypothesis and and its glowing borne out in future developments, the(Goal 2) tools and tech niques for designing 116to the feature. At this point no be taken to develop are provide all the service to the human that he needs in theinto a growingof Typical and realistic problems for the solve can be posed for 1173. 4. measured more The programmerÕs normal work involves interactions with a computer (although heretofore not There are some very of involved in programming.7. 8. of we are considering. They 118tech niques, concepts, improve the the in studying andwe think that they represent anwhich the researchers pursue their work The plan we are describing here isproblems, and (2) our researchers are 119to do the of tools and represent an art of doing such art exists our are many and be borrowed from other disciplines. Psychology, physical technology, display technology, 120etc.This was to be accompanied by a thorough search through disciplines and careful incorporation ofuseful findings.we would now the approach be quite different. We 121Beyond this, and assuming the goal, and plenty ofgroups) to develop means that ownSection work up through a kinks through a succession ofdo in your research." In other jobtheir type of 122up a program, gainit is begin theirof great value. Forinstance, key concepts held would have been laboriously the well-which 1 may 123can work up programs that can search through other programs for answers totagging would allow programs which could fairlywith which the the over the obstacles toare speaking of 124real-world economics, workingthe continously expanding knowledge andhave assumed that what was A 1 was 125value in than is now of its products are siphoned to the world via A 3. Getting be 126 127 Isolating critical problems,and educating awareness amongthose who can initiate pursuitproblems are assumed to be thoseof D 1 and M 1, as well as theand allocating available resourcestoward solving critical problems Attacking the critical problems of our society are discernibleby those who can initiate new methods toward their solution. No manufacture auf augmentionartifacts, and organizationtablishing, staffing, trainingand operating real-worldto make possible wider utili-zation of powerful aug- Special-application research, building on basic LAM/T developments toderive augmentation systems specifically applicable to given real-worlddeveloping appropriate specialized higher-level capabilities. Basic augmentation research--empirically and total-system oriented--where the special-capability applications selected for experimentaldevelopment (to provide necessary research focus) are picked from programming, display technology, automated instruction D1A4U 1M1 128real-worldproblem solver in almost any discipline, and he has the basic structuring histhese are provided those each that 129things have been done: (1) An hypothesis has been presented. (2) A toward redesigning of asystem.2. A has been helps provide a way of looking at thethis hypothesis. Briefly, this· · · process are the basic humanthe the · · which the we feel are promised. This approach is designed to reworking from the and yet to make the 130as possible by deriving are needed in the The real-world whose progressioncorresponds to the increasing generality of the capabilities for which coordinated augmentationin of the basic their ways of working--or it could be used on the other hand by 131improving the the ofsociety's problem solvers warrants the most serious consideration. This is because man's problem-resource. Any evolving an art or can couple the that resource should warrant doubly seriousconsideration. do not do not us improvedproblem of improving intellectual a aim at 132 Design For a Brain Ashby, an Studies , C. E. Sanity Language, Thought, and The Newell, A. (editor), Processing McCarthy, 1.5 ProgrammerÕs Manual,Ó and Research Journal of the Assoc. for (April 1960).10. Yngve, V. Research Yngve, V. Research the Carr, Compilers and of the Weizenbaum, J., ÒKnotted List Structures,Ó of the 13315. on Human Factors in 16. A of Problems Much You Have at Your Journal of Research and Trans. on Computers and (February 1961).20. Proceedings Spring Joint Computer Vol. 21, pp. 113-128 Alto,California, May 1962).22. MIT, 1841(69) DSR 8644 (1 July 1961).24. Randa, Glenn a Report ESL, R-132, MIT, Indexing in Osgood, C. Tannenbaum, The of Current Research and 6