Have you ever wanted to pick the brain of John Walker? (The founder of Autodesk, not the scotch guy, that is.) Well, you may never get the opportunity, but Kean Walmsley's interview with him on Through the Interface might be the next best thing.

Walmsley admits that it took weeks to transcribe his four-hour conversation with Walker -- one that covered a variety of topics, from the history of Autodesk to the decision to use LISP as the programming language. Walmsley was also gracious enough to break down the 18,000-word transcript into the following four sections:

• Part 1: Autodesk's early history -- This section covers the genesis of AutoDesk. Apparently, it started with a handful of mainframe programmers who ended up moonlighting on a few side projects. Eventually, with a little luck, these projects gained a massive following in the early 1980s. Suddenly, the small startup company grew into a software behemoth.

• Part 2: AutoCAD's architecture & APIs -- In this part, Walker explains how LISP and AutoLISP became the muscle behind AutoCAD. They also discuss some of the add-ons and features that were deployed over time, as the program gained more notoriety.

• Part 3: Autodesk's eco-system and strategy -- In this next segment, Walmsley and Walker talk about Autodesk's business model and how outside influences helped the company gain market share.

• Part 4: Past and future opportunities -- Finally, the two discuss Autodesk's acquisitions of other companies, failed product launches and the future of the firm.

So, if you've been searching for an exhaustive take on Autodesk and the origins of CAD, look no further. Walmsley offers a raw, barely-edited interview with a developer who changed the construction industry. If you can handle the length, this piece will provide a lot of insight into the past, present and future of CAD software.

(Note: A special thanks to Shaan Hurley from Between the Lines, who pointed out this four-part series to us.)