Alan Kay On Always Having a Running System
<p>One of the processes we've found very helpful over the years is to "always have a running system:" that is, to close the loop of initial bootstrapping as quickly as possible so the system can assist in its further development. This is very good for both <em>morale</em> (the beautiful baby is born alive and grows, rather than being a tacked-together Frankensteain's monster that we are trying to bring to life after the fact), and for <em>reality</em> (what is being improved gets to be instantly integrated and debugged in the existing systems context so there are far fewer conflicts and surprises).</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">— Alan Kay, 2006 August 31 NSF Grant Proposal</p>
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