The applications of these standards to operational and proposed systems must be investigated. The requirements suggested by these researchers must be applied to collaborative hypertext systems. Linking protocols such as Sun's Link Service, Intermedia's Link Server, Microcosm Link Engine have been developed. Some of these are closed systems. The commercial use of these protocols must be explored further.
Most linking protocols exist as layers above the operating system.
Making the link service an integral part of the operating system must be investigated. Most corporations seem to be interested in the profit-making and entertainment aspects of multimedia rather than intellectual applications of hypermedia such as learning systems, group decision support systems, brainstorming systems etc. The hypermedia paradigm can be extended to many traditional information management systems as well as emerging complex information systems. Some of the application areas that can be greatly improved by incorporating hypermedia technology include on-line documentation, electronic encyclopedias, interactive kiosks, learning systems, idea processing environments, decision support systems, collaborative systems, issue based information systems, software engineering, and medical information systems. These applications were developed over a long period of time, each addressing a specific problem.