memex

computer science

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Last updated

July 17, 2026

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The Memex was a theoretical device proposed by Vannevar Bush in his 1945 article "As We May Think." It was envisioned as an electro-mechanical desk that would store and retrieve information using microfilm. Bush's goal was to create a system that mimicked the associative nature of the human brain, allowing users to link and cross-reference information in a non-linear way. While never built, the Memex is considered a significant precursor to modern hypertext systems and the World Wide Web, influencing the development of computer science and information retrieval.12

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” There Bush envisioned the memex, a machine that would allow readers to annotate and create links between articles and books recorded on microfilm. HyperCard’s “stacks” implemented a version of Bush’s vision, but the program relied upon the user to create both the text and the links. For example, one…
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” There Bush envisioned the memex, a machine that would allow readers to annotate and create links between articles and books recorded on microfilm. HyperCard’s “stacks” implemented a version of Bush’s vision, but the program relied upon the user to create both the text and the links. For example, one…
Read More