consensus@cdp.UUCP (06/03/90)
The following topic is from the Groupware SIG on America Online. For more information, or to reply to an individual on America Online, contact: * Christopher Allen - Consensus Development * P.O. Box 2836, Union City, CA 94587-7836 * AT&T: (415) 487-9206 * America Online: AFL MacDev * AppleLink: D3516 * Internet: cdp!consensus@arisia.xerox.com * UUCP: uunet!pyramid!cdp!consensus :: topic "One Vision of Groupware" from America Online :: Subj: One Vision of Groupware 90-03-04 18:08:43 EDT From: AFL MacDev Msgs: 4 (90-04-25) Science and Engineering inspire science-fiction, and yet SF often returns the inspiration. I personally find this short "vision" of groupware inspiring. "Limon...left three men to manage a twenty-four hour computer bulletin-board game called 'Consensus' that held the full set of lunar colony laws, plus rules for updating those laws. To change them you had to be a very good player. It was a game of skill. Nobody understood the purpose of the game even if they liked to play; whatever changes you might manage to make in the laws with the help of other players weren't 'legally binding'. And yet, within a year, by consensus, there were no other lunar laws. No one even minded that eight year olds were allowed to play. If you had the skill to win, you had a 'vote'." This is quoted from page 469 of the science-fiction novel "Moon Goddess and the Son", by Donald Kingsbury, published by Baen Books in 1986. Chris Allen - AFL MacDev Subj: Groupware modeled by SF 90-04-19 20:05:48 EDT From: Ted Lesley There is a book called David's Sling by Marc Steigler that postulates a "groupware" future. The book also included an address that you could send $20 for a HyperCard version of the Book. He mentioned some SF source material in the stack. It also suggested a giant HyperIBIS-like idea duelling forum. It was really entertaining and I consider it a must read. Are there any other groupwaresque SF that points in interesting directions? Subj: re: SF groupware 90-04-20 02:17:54 EDT From: AFC JLloyd Well, there is all the cyberspace stuff, with the prime example being William Gibson's books _Neuromancer_, _Count Zero_, and _Mona Lisa Overdrive_. However, these books are really quite extreme extrapolations of groupware; to the point that the groupware component is almost unrecognizable. However, they're great books, groupware or no. :) Jim Lloyd - AFC JLloyd Subj: Cyberpunk = groupware? 90-04-25 01:05:48 EDT From: Shep T I love cyberpunk books, but they tend to postulate an almost "anti-groupware" where people are working AGAINST each other via the network, instead of working towards a common goal. There's always a huge NEGATIVE factor in these visions. I see groupware as helping people work together towards common goals. I'd love to hear about any other examples in SF literature of this kind of thing.