Reading Commentary Week #3: Alan Kay: The Computer Revolution hasn’t happend yet

I can’t really relate to this article, perhaps Alan Kay is way too evolved for me to follow.  He’s a brilliant computer scientist and also has a background in biology, from what I understand.

In terms of the language of programming, I really have no opinion.  My background has been in retail math and graphic print design, I have nothing really to contribute to this conversation.  I’m at a learning stage where I’m still an outsider looking in and trying to understand the complex system of a computer.  I wouldn’t know where to start and what to compare the language to (bad language vs better language).

I can also agree with him that the computer is “small and stupid”… But to a certain point.  I don’t really expect a computer to solve all my problems, it’s really just to help me.  I like the way he mapped out complex systems with biology.

Mainly because I think computers— just like everything humans invented, needs more time to evolve perfectly.  He complains about how a lot of the computer languages are too big and it should be a little bit more simple.  I do agree, but I think this is just something we need more time, more tests and more tweaks.  Take for example jQuery and Dreamweaver.  Both languages were made to simplify javascript library and html.  Granted Dreamweaver has its annoyances, but yet developers figured out a practical way to be efficient… eventually.

The key with developing anything good and precise is time.  That’s just how we as humans have behaved.  But we’ve always been able to figure things out to make things better and efficient.  Perhaps it’s just a generation and decade issue.  Sometimes we have to provide a solid foundation for the next generation to help discover future efficiencies.  Great examples phones and radios (cellphones & MP3s).  We’ve come a long way from what we used to have back in the Victorian era.

I don’t know if Kay is complaining and I can’t really tell if he’s helping to look for a solution either.

 

 

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