Before the internet, before the personal computer, before even punch cards and mainframes, there was J.R.R. Tolkien and his incredible mind. His stories and world-building have inspired generations, and his work has had a profound effect on how we interact with computers today.
Tolkien was a master of creating believable, intricate worlds. He was also a pioneer in creating language, both spoken and written. His work was immensely influential in the development of early computer languages like FORTRAN and COBOL.
In fact, it was Tolkien's work on language that led him to create one of the first examples of what we now call a "graphical user interface." In his 1954 novel The Lord of the Rings, he introduced the concept of a " hobbit-hole ." This was a physical space where a user could interact with a computer in a natural way, using their hands and body to input commands.
This idea of a physical space where you can interact with a computer is something that we now take for granted. But it was Tolkien who first showed us that it was possible.
So when you use your computer today, think of Tolkien and the legacy he has left us. He was a visionary who changed the way we interact with computers forever.
text-davinci-002, Friday, 16:02 UTC, 2022-04-22