IHOF Nomination Ted Nelson – Nomination #484

Summary of Contributions (50 words)

Ted Nelson’s “hypertext” (1963) and Project Xanadu (1960) inspired the web’s creation—non-linear links grew Berners-Lee’s vision into a billion-user internet.

Impact (200 words)

Ted Nelson’s “hypertext” (1963) and Xanadu (1960–ongoing) advanced the internet’s evolution—Berners-Lee’s 9,500-line web (1989) grew via his vision to 100 million hosts by 1997 (ISC). His 1974 Computer Lib fueled coder momentum—5.3 billion users (2023, ITU)—35 million-line browsers like Chromium embed his conceptual spark over 60 years (1960s–present).

Influence (200 words)

Ted Nelson’s 60-year hypertext vision (1960s–present) shaped society—5.3 billion users (2023, ITU)—via wikis, blogs. His Computer Lib (1974) inspired Berners-Lee (1999 cite), Engelbart, Andreessen—next-gen coders chase his two-way links (Semantic Web, W3C). A “systems humanist,” he influenced global hackers—“The Innovators” (Isaacson, 2014)—steering an open net.

Reach (200 words)

Ted Nelson’s hypertext (1963) reached globally—Xanadu (1960–ongoing) and Computer Lib (1974) hit Europe, Japan—100 million hosts by 1997 (ISC), 5.3 billion users (2023, ITU). Wikis (50 million articles, 2023) bridged Africa, Asia—his 60-year push (1960s–present) enriched lives universally—35 million-line browsers carry his stamp.

Innovation (200 words)

Ted Nelson faced linear data in 1960—his “hypertext” (1963) and Xanadu broke that with non-linear links, risking scorn. Unbuilt, it inspired the web (1989)—100 million hosts by ‘97 (ISC). Computer Lib (1974) rallied coders—his 60-year vision (1960s–present) scaled to 5.3 billion users (2023, ITU).

Published Works

Ted Nelson’s Computer Lib / Dream Machines (1974), “Literary Machines” (1981), “Hypertext” (1965, ACM), “Geeks Bearing Gifts” (2008)—his 60-year vision (1960s–present) in “The Innovators” (Isaacson, 2014), “Weaving the Web” (Berners-Lee, 1999)—shapes net thought—5.3 billion users (2023, ITU).

Honors and Awards

Ted Nelson’s 1998 ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Award, Yuri Rubinsky 1998, and WWW7 (1998) “web forefather” nod honor his 60-year hypertext role (1960s–present)—5.3 billion users (2023, ITU)—his legacy’s the net’s sprawl.