Los Angeles, Feb 24 nd, 2011 Alan Kay Viewpoints Research Institute Designing The Future of Software...

Preview:

Citation preview

Los Angeles, Feb 24nd, 2011

Alan KayViewpoints Research Institute

Designing The Future of Software

Vanguard

“News” can be told in a few minutes

“New” = learning, longer & change

News

News: Behold!

New: Fiat Lux!

van der Waalsforces

A Vanguard Talk

45 Minutes!

45 Minutes!

Software Has Fallen Short

Best of 1970s

Best Practice

of Today

What is Needed Today

Quality Bar 1

Quality Bar 2

Quality Bar 3

General Practice Today

General Practice of 1970s

Quality Bar 4

Quality Bar 5

Quality Bar 6

1980 ...

Quality Bar 7

TechnologyTechnology

Tinkering

Engineering

Mathematics Science

Computer Software

Yikes!

People Nature

Forms Engineering SciencesStoriesPaintingTheaterMusicLanguageReligionMathematics

PhysicsChemistryBiologyAnthropologyPsychologySociologySystems

Bridges & People

“The Arts” from the perspective of their Ultimate Critics

AgricultureBuildingsRadio & TVTelephoneEnginesElectric PowerMechanics

Bridges

People Nature

Forms Engineering SciencesStoriesPaintingTheaterMusicLanguageReligionMathematics

PhysicsChemistryBiologyAnthropologyPsychologySociologySystems

Bridges & People Bridge Science

“The Arts” from the perspective of their Ultimate Critics

Bridges

AgricultureBuildingsRadio & TVTelephoneEnginesElectric PowerMechanics

People Nature

Forms Engineering SciencesStoriesPaintingTheaterMusicLanguageReligionMathematics

PhysicsChemistryBiologyAnthropologyPsychologySociologySystems

Bridges & People Bridge Science

“The Arts” from the perspective of their Ultimate Critics

Bridges

Computer Systems & People

Computer Systems Computer Science

AgricultureBuildingsRadio & TVTelephoneEnginesElectric PowerMechanics

CopingSocialLanguageCultureFantasiesStoriesTools, Art, TechnologiesGoals, Plans ...Play & GamesFixed Rules, Flexible StrategiesCase based learningCase based reasoningSuperstitionReligion/MagicTheaterDifferences over SimilaritiesQuick Reactions To Patterns"The Other"Supernormal ResponsesVendettaValue Shortages**Loud Noises & Snakes

Human Universals

About 300of these

havebeen

identified

CopingSocialLanguageCultureFantasiesStoriesTools, Art, TechnologiesGoals, Plans ...Play & GamesFixed Rules, Flexible StrategiesCase based learningCase based reasoningSuperstitionReligion/MagicTheaterDifferences over SimilaritiesQuick Reactions To Patterns"The Other"Supernormal ResponsesVendettaValue Shortages**Loud Noises & Snakes

Progress

Writing & Reading

Deductive Abstract Math

Model Based Science

Thought, Thought, Thought

Equal Rights

Democracy

Similarities over Differences

Slow Deep Thinking

Legal System vs Vendetta

Perspective Drawing

Theory of Harmony

Agriculture....

Human Universals And Non-Universals

About 300of these

havebeen

identified

Easy To Learn?

Average Price Of A Car In US = $28,500

Average Price Of A High End Laptop = $2,500

Most people can only experience the present in terms of the past

Which means they can only conceive the future in terms of the present

PresentPast Future

PresentPast Future

What learning curve are you on?

What if the problem is really hard?

For decades many people in many countries tried and failed

What learning curve are you on?

Paul MacCready

“Everyone else was trying to make an airplane. We were trying to do human powered flight!”

“The problem is that we don't understand the problem.

How can we find out what the problem is?”

What if the problem is really hard?

If you don't know what to do,

Do lots of things!

Change the roles and the relationships...

IT End-Users

Using network, automatically find the prototypes the end-users are making and sharing

Use the prototype as good first pass at “requirements”

Optimize

Make more powerful end-user tools and access to resources

...

Editors, helpers Authors

Suppliers, vendors Consumers

A Golden Oldie

From Computer Aided Design Directly To Artifacts

about

Ship The Design

The “computer aided software design system” merges and debugs and “prints” requirements, specifications, and design *as* the app

7 Big Designs From The 70s

Small low cost powerful personal computers

Bitmap displays and ½ Mouse

Graphical User Interface

OOP

High quality laser printing

Ethernet

Internet

About

Dependencies

“Semantic Caching”, etc.

A good hockey player plays where the puck is.

A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take

Go get the future and bring it back

I wasn't naturally gifted in terms of size and speed; everything I did in hockey I worked for

Wayne Gretzky Theory of the Future

The 30 Year “Wayne Gretzky Game”

It would be ridiculous if we didn't have

NowNow 10-15 Years Out 30 Years Out

$HW

If we do optimize, then we can make “far future” apps

We can do many experiments

without having to optimize

Hardware is just SW crystallized early!

Hardware is just SW crystallized early!

Hardware is just SW crystallized early!

Hardware is just SW crystallized early!

Hardware is just SW crystallized early!

Field Programm

able Gate Arrays

What is the message of Moore's Law?

From Gears to Biology!

Moore's Law

What is the message of “From Gears To Biology”?

“No Centers”Extremely ScalableArchitectures

What was late 70s early 80s message ofExtremely Scalable “No Centers” Architectures?

?

What Can You Make With Bricks?

11stst Order Golden: Order Golden: Architecture Dominates Materials

22ndnd Order Golden: Order Golden: But more powerful materials allow more powerful architectures

What Can You Make With Bricks?22ndnd Order Golden: Order Golden: But more powerful materials allow more powerful architectures

a|ba|b

?

?

11stst Order Golden: Order Golden: Architecture Dominates Materials

Try to achieve a scalable “ecology”, then a “psychology”

Not a “biological ecology”but a “systems ecology”

We want an “ecology of competencies”

“architecture dominates materials”

Not a “biological psychology”but a “systems psychology”

“meaning dominates

connections”

Recommended