Conversation

Given your current historical knowledge (and without googling), who would you say "invented" the interface pattern of blocks and block-based editors? Spoiler: I don't think there's a single, cut-and-dry answer. But open to being proved wrong. Interested in popular perception.

Microsoft's OLE
27%
OpenDoc
20.5%
Notion
31.9%
Other (comment below)
20.5%

185 votesFinal results

1:35 PM · Jan 27, 2022Twitter Web App

Replying to

@Mappletons

I was wiki nerd in the early 2000s and I recall transcluding being a concept going around and I think the many wiki systems going around doing it. I don’t remember it being as live (not needing a web page refresh) as recent block based doc products.

Replying to

I doubt they invented it, but this was my introduction to block based editors madebymany.github.io/sir-trevor-js/

Randito

@randito

Jan 27

ah, great link. haven't heard of that one before.

Replying to

Douglas Engelbart called them Statements, and Augment was the first hierarchical document interface I know of! dougengelbart.org/content/view/1

Garrett Vercoe

@garrettvercoe

Jan 27

That's a good point. Haven't watched it in awhile but Engelbart's Mother of All Demos has a similar thought-space and would predate a lot of these actual interfaces.