Ted Nelson originally coined the term "hypertext" in 1963 to refer to text that is interconnected in a complex, nonlinear way that cannot be conveniently presented on paper. Over time, two communities - literary and computer science/hypertext research - developed differing definitions of hypertext. The literary community defined it as using hyperlinks to connect different parts of a text, allowing the reader to determine the unfolding sequence. The computer science community focused on associating information to build knowledge. The article discusses Nelson's original conception of two forms of hypertext: "discrete hypertext" using links to branch between separate text chunks, and "stretchtext" giving readers control over detail levels without links. Taking a historical view of hypertext's evolving
Ted Nelson originally coined the term "hypertext" in 1963 to refer to text that is interconnected in a complex, nonlinear way that cannot be conveniently presented on paper. Over time, two communities - literary and computer science/hypertext research - developed differing definitions of hypertext. The literary community defined it as using hyperlinks to connect different parts of a text, allowing the reader to determine the unfolding sequence. The computer science community focused on associating information to build knowledge. The article discusses Nelson's original conception of two forms of hypertext: "discrete hypertext" using links to branch between separate text chunks, and "stretchtext" giving readers control over detail levels without links. Taking a historical view of hypertext's evolving
Ted Nelson originally coined the term "hypertext" in 1963 to refer to text that is interconnected in a complex, nonlinear way that cannot be conveniently presented on paper. Over time, two communities - literary and computer science/hypertext research - developed differing definitions of hypertext. The literary community defined it as using hyperlinks to connect different parts of a text, allowing the reader to determine the unfolding sequence. The computer science community focused on associating information to build knowledge. The article discusses Nelson's original conception of two forms of hypertext: "discrete hypertext" using links to branch between separate text chunks, and "stretchtext" giving readers control over detail levels without links. Taking a historical view of hypertext's evolving
Read the article by Wardrip-Fruin "What hypertext Is" and summarize it in 400-500
words. In your summary:
Relate to the main points of the article, especially to information that was new to you; Suggest whether you would now change any of your or others' entries in the Brainstorming Hypertext Mindmap; Include an opinion about why a historical approach to defining and understanding hypertext is or is not important or relevant to you personally.
Since it coined in 1963 by Ted Nelson, hypertext like other terms has taken in a variety of different directions being spearhead by literary and computer science/hypertext research communities. Ted Nelson defined hypertext as a body of written or pictorial material interconnected in such a complex way that it could not conveniently be presented or represented on paper. Before reading the given article, I wrote in a lecture note that Hypertext came from two words-hyper and text to literally mean a text beyond or over linear or sequential text. Hypertext is therefore any presentation of information that has multiple paths through appropriate links. Hence it could be read or presentation either linearly or non-linearly as the reader or presenter wants. It is easier to implement hypertext in electronic form or media. I had the perception that hypertext is due to the invention of World Wide Web not knowing that the former predates the later. Since I couldnt comprehend how one can implement hypertext without the web or a table structure. Our background, profession and others influence us with regards to the way we analysis and comprehend things. Therefore the definition of hypertext by both communities is valid. The literary communities define hypertext as medium that uses hyperlinks to connect directly different parts of a text together. This enables the reader to purposefully determine the unfolding of the text by clicking on these links, that bring to the screen other segments of text. Until I read the article, I did share the same opinion though different from that from the hypertext research community. The computer science community defines hypertext in terms associating of information to build knowledge. This is quite complex but richer from my opinion since it requires understanding from the reader. Both communities differ from the original Nelsons definition. The two forms of hypertext that Nelson identified are discrete or navigational hypertexts and stretchtext. Discrete hypertext means forms of writing, which branch or perform on request; they are best presented on computer display screens. Discrete, or chunk style, hypertexts consist of separate pieces of text connected by links. Stretchtext gives more control to the reader in determining what level of detail to read at. Authors write content to several levels of detail in a work.
The main different between discrete hypertext and stretchtext are while the former uses links to branch on request, the later uses no links instead making a non- branching performance. That is in discrete hypertexts, following a link replaces the page with a new page. But in stretchtext, following a link expands a passage or collapses an expanded passage. Stretchtext retains the interactivity of hypertext, but limits the disruption that accompanies link traversal
The discrete hypertext is what is commonly referred to as hypertext in common parlance especially via hyperlinks on the web but in stretchtext is uncommon but very useful because of it capability to hide details and unhide it when the user ask for it. The inclusion of historical approach to defining and understanding hypertext is important and relevant not only because it broadens our future but also because widens our horizon. This enables us to place hypertext in the correct perspective of past, present and future. Without history, one cant appreciate the evolution of the definition of hypertext.