From: olson@mydual.uucp (Kirtland H. Olson)
Newsgroups: alt.hypertext
Subject: Re: Novel navigation techniques
Date: 17 Nov 92 16:21:19 GMT
Reply-To: olson%mydual.uucp@alliant.com
Organization: The Harvard Group, 01451-0667

In article <1992Nov16.153742.4100@memstvx1.memst.edu> langston@memstvx1.memst.edu (Mark C. Langston) writes:

[backgound & quotations deleted]

>
>  Well, perhaps I was not clear... when I referred to the 'simple' k->l->n
>structure, I meant the inflexibility (and sometimes arbitrary) of assigned
>links.  What I meant to address was this:  what unique methods exist for
>deciding link type, resultant node, keyword to link(s) assignment, link(s) to
>node assignment, etc.  What novel methods are used to get away from the rigid,
>programmer-assigned link structure, and allow the user more flexibility in
>crossing keywords/links/nodes, besides typical indexes or overviews...
>

If I am in the hypertext and find the links unsatisfactory, I see only
two choices:  read all nodes or lookup phrases.  Bdexx will let me do
either, but the hypertext is compiled.  I can do these things in
MaxThink products because the nodes are ASCII files and I can use
utilities to read them and search them. 

As far as I know, no hypertext makes these functions available to
end-users in a simple way.  Phrase searches need an understanding of
Boolean search strategies in Bdexx.  Many utilities will do exact phrase
matching in files, but the user must be relatively sophisticated to use
those utilities.

It should be possible using HyPlus and the MaxThink utilities to create
a batch file that allows the user to create a new index to newly chosen
words or phrases.  HyPlus could then call the batch file and create the
index.  Then the problem is to inset the new index into the list of
indices without confusing the user--perhaps by providing one or more
slots for "user-defined index" entries.  

My own struggles with this problem come from a different viewpoint.  How
should I create the hypertext and its indices so that these tools are
not necessary for the user?  And how do I import and index material
written for another purpose without re-writing it?  In other words: 
what are the rules for writing hypertext?

Keep in mind that this question remains open for print materials.  We do
not have a single answer there, and will not have a single answer for
hypertext.  And the rules vary with the purpose of the
writing--vicarious experience needs different rules than technical
reporting.  What's more, there are sets of simultaneously applied,
independent rules (grammar, unities, character- and setting-development
for vicarious experience) that may be purposely broken for effect.

Technical reporting also employs simultaneous, independent rule sets,
but it's a little easier for me to grasp those.  Applying them to
hypertext content has been very difficult--new problems emerge as I try
to create experimental texts.  And attempting to create hypertext from
published written material--say a set of conference papers--revealed
problems stemming from uneven application of the rules for written
material as well as differences in rules for printed and hypertext
material.  

I guess the upshot of this is:  I join in the question.  Does anybody
know of a better way?



-- 
Kirtland H. Olson                     olson%mydual.uucp@alliant.com