The Memex: A Hypothetical Device Influencing Modern Technology

The Memex, mentioned in the 1945 article "As We May Think" by Vannevar Bush, is a hypothetical device that would allow users to store, access, and navigate through vast amounts of information. The term "Memex" is a combination of "memory" and "index." Bush envisioned the Memex as a desk-like machine that would store books, records, and other forms of communication on microfilm. Users could access the stored information using a system of levers, buttons, and screens.

The Memex was designed to facilitate the process of associative thinking by allowing users to create and follow links between different pieces of information, much like the hyperlinks we use on the internet today. Although the Memex was never built, its concept had a significant influence on the development of modern computer systems and the World Wide Web.

Bush envisioned the Memex as a desk-like machine that would store books, records, and other forms of communication on microfilm.