Computer Lib/Dream Machines

Computer Lib/Dream machines is a book by Ted Nelson. Actually, it is two books. The two books are bound together, back-to-back, in the same way as some magazines or clothing catalogs. One can read one of the books, close the cover, flip the book over, rotate it, and read the other book. It is ironic that this clever technique was used for a book about new media, which is inherently about pushing the envelope.

The more famous of the two books was Computer Lib, which was published in 1974. In the book, Nelson railed against the idea of central computers, and, much like Enzensberger feared could not happen, Nelson advocated for more individual, decentralized computing.

Dream Machines, the other book, was more about new media as opposed to just technology. Nelson, although he was a computing pioneer, did not care too much for the specific technology, but rather, the ideas. Nelson advocated for using computers as a method of advancing new media, open-source, collaborative development, and lastly, as a way to empower others to advance. He seems like he would be an influential in the life of Richard Stallman.