While Alan
Kay studied at the University of Utah
he learned to use the innovative SketchPad program developed by
Ivan Sutherland and began programming in Simula. Borrowing ideas
from these and other programs, as well as from his background
in Biology, he formulated his "biological analogy."
Kay postulated that the ideal computer would function like a living
organism; each "cell" would behave in accord with others
to accomplish an end goal but would also be able to function autonomously.
"Cells" could also regroup themselves in order to attack
another problem or handle another function.