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I predicted the Internet.

The article below was written in late October of 1989 by Kevin Fox, at the time a high school junior. Made to resemble a fictitious article to be written more than ten years later, the essay was entered into a $10,000 essay contest sponsored by Egghead Software. Applicants were asked to write a 500 word essay in response to the question, "How will computers affect my life in the year 2000?"

Four thousand entries were submitted, and a team of educators and other judges narrowed the field to the top seven essays. From there, the seven finalists were read and judged by five industry leaders, including White House correspondant Brit Hume and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

The essay below won first place.

In reading the essay, it's good to keep in mind when it was written.

In October 1989:

On Thursday, August 24th, 1995, six years after reading the following essay, Bill Gates launched the Microsoft Network (later known as MSN).

On Tuesday, February 13th, 2001, twelve years after reading the essay, Gates unveiled Windows XP, featuring the .NET initiative, offering Microsoft applications as services instead of products.

'Hyperion' Project, Breakthrough
in Human-Computer Interaction

Kevin Fox - Times Staff Writer
12/31/1999 [written on 10/21/1989]

REDMOND, WA- Since the dawn of the computer era, less than half a century ago, computers have helped mankind advance more than any other invention in history. Yet even today, the full potential of computers is not realized because hardware is only as powerful as the software that drives it; but starting tomorrow morning, January 1, 2000 at 1:00 a.m. EST, the field of computing is going to undergo a revolution that will change the way the future looks at computers. At the conclusion of the first hour of the third millennium a large, quiet warehouse in Redmond, Washington will be transformed into the hub of the first active worldwide computer network, joining millions of computers from hundreds of countries.
The Hyperion project, conceived by Microsoft Corp. in the early '90's, sets a new standard in computers. Linking over 60% of the world's computers together, Hyperion will allow anyone at an equipped computer to send or receive letters, files, and programs to any other equipped computer regardless of whether or not there is a person at the remote location; but that's just the beginning. Hyperion has a database which is updated daily and contains all articles published in dozens of newspapers including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the London Herald, and all syndicated columns. The database will also include all post-1980 books published by Warner, Signet, Bantam, and a host of other publishers. Access to the database is free and books purchased will be downloaded immediately and charged to your account.
One of the largest barriers to using a computer effectively is using the right program. Hyperion seeks to solve this problem with its Program Search and Retrieval System (PURSERS). PURSERS insures that you use the right program for the job, at the lowest price. PURSERS asks the consumer to type a brief

 

summary of the job which the program will be used for, after which PURSERS' unique translator interprets the summary and selects five programs best suited for the job. If the user selects a freeware, or public domain program, he can immediately begin work using the program. If the program selected is shareware the shareware fee is taken from the client's account and is added to the account of the program's author or authors. If the chosen is a commercial program the client is given two options; he may either purchase the program for the retail price and have it downloaded immediately, or he may choose to use it for an hourly fee. If the hourly fee is chosen, a modified version of the program is sent to the patron's computer. This modified, incomplete version runs the same as the original one, except, when performing functions such as saving, printing, or opening a file, the program contacts Hyperion for an 'OK' code, at which point the patron's account is charged. This modified program may be run again at any time, without having to go through PURSERS first, and the users account will be billed automatically. Updates of public domain, shareware, or commercial software can be made through Hyperion either for free, or for a nominal upgrade fee, as specified by the program's manufacturer.
Hyperion is compatible with all major computer formats including Apple's Stark and Macintosh lines, IBM's complete line from the original PC forward, the soon to be released Phoenix form Spartan Enterprises, all PC and Stark compatibles and many others. Hyperion is transparent, operating in the background, automatically connecting when the computer is turned on. To become a Hyperion subscriber you will need a transceiver, a small peripheral which connects your computer to the network via radio waves capable of a transfer rate of 2.3 megabytes a second. The fee is $30 a month plus expenses with no on-line charges. Hyperion represents a great advancement in how computers and software work together, and, with luck, will bring computing a giant step toward reaching its full potential.

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