Hypertext structuring, annotation and navigational functionality can enrich business, scientific, engineering and personal applications, thereby making them more effective. People use these applications primarily for their underlying analytical functionality, i.e., not for their ability to produce hypertext documents or displays. People will not abandon the applications they use everyday in favor of those that offer hypertext. Developers therefore must find it relatively easy to retrofit HTF to existing applications, as well as incorporate HTF into new ones. Navigation encompasses access ranging from information retrieval to browsing.
Annotation includes bookmarks, landmarks, manual linking and commenting.
Note that many of these features can be shared in collaborative environments. Many also can be personalized for different users and tasks. We consider the terms hypertext and hypermedia synonymous. Nominally hypertext refers to relating textual elements, while hypermedia encompasses relationships among elements of any media type. The concepts are identical, though hypertext is more difficult to implement in non-textual media.