daveb@geac.UUCP (David Collier-Brown) (01/28/88)
In article <757@brandx.rutgers.edu> webber@brandx.rutgers.edu (Webber) writes: | There are, of course, many groups where the hype (pie in the sky application) | of hypertext has been discussed. To approach the nitty-gritty details | of hypertext, we seem to lack two things: a common implementation of hypertext | and a body of information to contemplate the hypertexting of. | | The first problem should be the simplest to solve. Curses gives one a fairly | portable terminal interface that would allow text to be displayed in a manner | permitting portions of the text to be pointed to and actions taken as a result | thereof. Conventions for referencing other text pieces and storage/retrieval | of same have been briefly discussed, but ultimately will be whatever the | implementer decides to do. One would expect the basic unit of text to | be what can comfortably be displayed on a normal terminal screen. Interestingly enough, a set of 1:1 relationships and the mechanism for following them to (possibly distant) text exists in the "ctags" facility of vi and various emacs. "normal" tags example: fredM fred.c /^main(argc,argv)$/ usage fred.c /^usage() {$/ I noticed that the current tags file contains sufficient information for Jove (an emacs subset) to find locations in files other than the one being edited and possibly located in distant directories. This constitutes a "weak" Hypertext as it stands. I also note that one could extend the file format and the display program to allow a 1:many linkage to be represented and followed. A (potted) example follows: tags file: Performance plan/requirements.2 /^.SH Performance/ Performance plan/requirements.5 /^.SH Performance/ Reliability plan/requirements.2 /^.SH Reliability/ Reliability plan/requirements.5 /^.SH Reliability/ Reliability src/checklist.nroff /^2.6.2 New Versions/ Reliability src/checklist.nroff /^2.9.3 Backout/ Reliability src/checklist.nroff /^9.6.1 Regression Tests/ I envisage a goto_this_subject command which, when I place the cursor on "Reliability" will display: plan/requirements.2 .SH Reliability plan/requirements.5 .SH Reliability src/checklist.nroff 2.6.2 New Versions src/checklist.nroff 2.9.3 Backout src/checklist.nroff 9.6.1 Regression Tests ... and allow me to select where I next wish to go. --dave (I think a GNU could do [it]) c-b -- David Collier-Brown. {mnetor yetti utgpu}!geac!daveb Geac Computers International Inc., | Computer Science loses its 350 Steelcase Road,Markham, Ontario, | memory (if not its mind) CANADA, L3R 1B3 (416) 475-0525 x3279 | every 6 months.