As We May Think (Vannevar Bush)

En 1945 Vannevar Bush, ingeniero estadounidense que trabajó entre otros con el padre de la teoría matemática de la comunicación, Claude Shannon, publicó en The Atlantic As We May Think, un artículo que se considera precusor del hipertexto. En él, el autor reivindica la necesidad de que los procesos de construcción y almacenamiento de datos se realicen mediante un sistema asociativo. Explica que los métodos de indexación utilizados hasta ese momento han sido creados de un modo “artificial” y que esa es la causa de que, ante un gran volumen de publicaciones, estudios o artículos, el proceso de localización de los mismos sea muy costoso.

“Our ineptitude in getting at the record is largely caused bay the artificiality of systems of indexing. When data of any sort are placed in storage, they are filed alphabetically or numerically, and information is found (when it is) by tracing it down from subclass. It can be in only one place, unless duplicates are used; one has to have rules as to which path will locate it, and the rules are cumbersome. Having found one item, moreover, one has to emerge from the system and re-enter on a new path (…) the human mind does not work that way. It operates bay association. With one item in its grasp, it snaps instantly to the next that is suggested by the association of thoughts, in accordance with some intricate of trail carried bay the cells of the brain (…) Selection bay association, rather than indexing, may be yet mechanized. One cannot hope thus to equal the speed and flexibility with which the mind follows an associative trail, but it should be possible to beat the mind decisively in regard to the permanence and clarity of the items resurrected from the storage (…) “ (1945:13)

Bush propone la utilización de un sistema, origen del hipertexto, al que denomina memex, que tiene como principal característica el hecho de que los items están conectados unos a otros, por asociación.

“(...) The basic idea of which a provision whereby any item may be caused at will to select immediately and automatically another. This is the essential feature of the memex. The process of tying two items together is the important thing”. (1945: 14)


As We May Think (the Atlantic)