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Alan Kay (born May 17, 1940) is an American computer scientist, known for his early work on object-oriented programming and user interface design. Until recently he was a Senior Fellow at HP Labs, an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, a Visiting Professor at Kyoto University, and an Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is also the president of the Viewpoints Research Institute.

Early life and work


Originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, Kay earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Molecular Biology from the University of Colorado, and another Master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Utah. At the University of Utah in the 1960s, Kay worked with Ivan Sutherland on pioneering graphics applications including Sketchpad. Around this time, he also worked as a professional jazz guitarist.

Kay joined Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1970. In the seventies he was one of the key members there to develop prototypes of networked workstations using the programming language Smalltalk. These inventions were later commercialized by Apple in the Apple Macintosh.

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A Conversation with Alan Kay: Big Talk with the Creator of Smalltalk, and Much More - Historical perspective on personal computing, programming languages, from one of the industry’s preeminent pioneers. [ACM Queue]
Meta Description: [ - A Conversation with Alan Kay: Big talk with the creator of Smalltalk—and much more. ]

404 ACM1: Alan Kay: The Computer Revolution Hasn't Happened Yet - Abstract of talk, brief biography, good sized picture.
Meta Description: [ ACM delivers resources that advance Computing as a science and a profession. ACM provides the computing field's premier Digital Library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources. ]

Alan Kay - Biography, photographs, and references for one of the foreground characters of the personal computer revolution.

Alan Kay - Growing biography, with links to related topics. [Wikipedia]

Alan Kay - The nearest thing to a personal page, at Squeakland site, biography with tiny photos of some early work.

ArtMuseum.net: Alan Kay | Interface 1972 - Biography about Kay's views on interfaces, a few references, old PARC picture.

404 Education in the Digital Age - Alan Kay talk, in streaming video.

Educom'98: Alan Kay: The Computer 'Revolution' Hasn't Happened Yet - RealVideo webcast from conference by EDUCAUSE nonprofit association with goal to advance higher education by promoting intelligent use of information technology.

Engelbart's Unfinished Revolution: Alan Kay - Brief biography, old picture.

From Dynabook to Squeak: A Study in Survivals - Part of a historical research project, tracing the evolution of Alan Kay's Dynabook vision over 3+ decades; many links.

HP Feature Story: Alan Kay Biography - From former employer, Hewlett-Packard Development Co.

Kay + Hillis - Together, two legendary minds: Alan Kay, Danny Hillis. The result: a fast-forward, neuron-boggling, early-warning scan of the future. [Wired]
Meta Description: [ Wired brings together two legendary minds: Alan Kay and Danny Hillis. The result is a fast-forward, neuron-boggling, early-warning scan of times ahead. ]

mprove: Alan Kay Bibliography - An extensive list of references to articles by Alan Kay. Excerpts of his master's and Ph.D. thesis.

MUF Mastery: Alan Kay - Brief biography with perceptive editorial comments.

Predicting The Future - By Alan C. Kay; essay on how things get invented, and how to do better. [Stanford Engineering]

Smalltalk with Object-Oriented Programming Pioneer Kay - Interview, on influences, history, rationale; laptops; advice. [SearchWebServices.com]
Meta Description: [ Find the latest information on Web Services ]

Smalltalk.org: Alan Kay - Brief information on Xerox PARC, Kay quotes, Steve Jobs impression, a few links.

SPACEWAR: Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums - Famous Rolling Stone article by Stewart Brand, part of which discusses PARC, Alan Kay, Dynabook, Smalltalk.

Squeak Wiki: Alan Kay - Brief biography, old picture, some links, contact information.

Tools For Thought: The Birth of the Fantasy Amplifier - By Howard Rheingold. Online copy of well known 1985 book on the invention of modern computing; this chapter on PARC, Alan Kay, Dynabook, Smalltalk, Atari. Newer (c)2000 edition of the book is out, with follow-up interviews.

Watch What I Do - A Forward by Kay, from a book on programming by demonstration.

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