Xanadu is a proposed global hypertext system that was described by computer visionary Ted Nelson in his 1987 book tided Literary Machines. It differs from the World Wide Web, although both use hypertext principles. In contrast to the Web, hyperlinks would incorporate the linked data where a hyperlink is inserted, creating the impression of a seamless document. To make sure all authors received recognition and some compensation for the incorporation of their work in others’ documents, it would track all of such incorporations, and if the author desired, charge a small fee for them. Also, the system would assure that no broken links existed (this is a significant problem on the Web). Despite considerable funding and development sponsored by CAD software maker Autodesk in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Nelson has not been able to bring his concept to market. The code has since been released on an open-source model in the hope that volunteer programmers will help Nelson carry the project forward.
Technipages Explains Xanadu
Xanadu is a global hypertext software, and the term “hypertext” was coined by Xanadu’s founder Ted Nelson to describe links that would be clickable from his program. What Xanadu does is to allow its users to create documents that can embed their sources within them. Xanadu is believed to be an improvement over the World Wide Web, and Ted Nelson claims Xanadu now competes with the PDF format and Microsoft Docx format to create a new type of document in which you can write, distribute and connect to a sourced document without having to jump into unknown hyperspace.
OpenXanadu is the only version to have been released on the internet, and the document created quoted sections from several works including the King James Bible. With Xanadu, there will be a visible connection between pages, and every quoted document would be connected to its source and copyright system that allowed the mixing and paid content.
The idea for Xanadu was birthed in 1960, and the name “Xanadu” was chosen as a tribute to the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Also, he wanted the program to have been able to compare several versions of the same document, and he termed this “intercomparison”. It wasn’t until 2014 that the Xanadu team was able to put up a working version.
Common Uses of Xanadu
- A key feature on using Xanadu is that documents can contain links of any type, including virtual copies in any other document in the system accessible to its owner.
- Xanadu has launched its open-source machine learning software for quantum software
- Xanadu’s PennyLane is its first dedicated machine learning software for quantum computers
Common Misuses of Xanadu
- Development of Xanadu started before the implementation of the World Wide Web