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Ted Nelson is my favorite example of a—smart, no doubt—man who can have all of the right ideas* yet see no real success in his personal career. I hope he sees a little more appreciation before he goes; maybe visual connections will take off, or a ZigZag-clone.

*His ideas on DRM don't count: too far after his time.

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Reason for his non-success is clear.

Nelson called for universal and open, but his Xandadu project was closed and ZigZag algorithm patented. He wanted to own and control the hypertex and sell the applications that use it.

He made some moves to open it up when it was too late.

I think the rule of being the "idea guy" applies to Ted Nelson as much as it applies to anyone else.

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