/[gzz]/manuscripts/FutureVision/oplan.txt
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revision 1.9 by benja, Thu Nov 13 09:16:50 2003 UTC revision 1.10 by benja, Thu Nov 13 13:03:42 2003 UTC
# Line 9  to plan.txt Line 9  to plan.txt
9  Abstract  Abstract
10  ========  ========
11    
12    Relationship between item-based and files:
13    
14        Computers should help us with **organizing our lives**, rather
15        than making them more difficult. We need
16        a system **structured** around **items** --
17        **things that we care about**, such as people, arguments and ideas,
18        and able to express the relationships between them,
19        so that connected to e.g. an idea we see all arguments
20        we have considered for or against it.
21    
22  [1]: mention the smallness of space here, and that  [1]: mention the smallness of space here, and that
23  we distinguish between explored and unexplored spaces  we distinguish between explored and unexplored spaces
24  and that it affects our user interfaces  and that it affects our user interfaces
# Line 18  and that it affects our user interfaces Line 28  and that it affects our user interfaces
28  1 Introduction  1 Introduction
29  ==============  ==============
30    
31    s/a system, in technical terms/in technical terms/
32    
33    Remove the "irrelevant computery abstractions" goof,
34    replace by discussion about document-centric vs. item-centric:
35    
36        This system
37        should **center around the things we care about**,
38        the people, appointments, plants, articles we read, 3D models we create
39        and so on. We need a system
40        in which these **items** (`Nelson 2000`_) are visible things
41        that can be connected to each other;
42        in technical terms, a hypermedia system in which items
43        are first-class objects [#can-use-structcomp]_.
44    
45        In contrast, in the mainstream file system paradigm,
46        only documents and categories of documents are represented
47        as first-class objects.
48        While documents certainly qualify as things that we care about,
49        other items like people, theories, or places are not
50        explicitly represented in this paradigm at all.
51        Additionally, file systems are simple hierarchies,
52        rather than allowing arbitrary relationships between items
53        to be expressed. Information like "In this meeting, we discussed
54        possible solutions A, B, C to problem X, and our consensus
55        was that...," for example, might be hidden in a document called
56        "Minutes 2003-07-24."
57    
58        In an item-centric system, this information would be expressed
59        as relationships between a couple of items-- the problem, the meeting,
60        the solutions discussed, the arguments raised in this discussion,
61        the decisions reached. Looking at the problem item, for example,
62        the user would connect to it the solutions that have
63        been discussed for it, and to them
64        the arguments that have presented in favor or against each
65        of the solutions-- no matter in which meeting, in which e-mail,
66        in which memo or in which chat session they were made.
67        (On the other hand, the user could just as well look at all the points
68        made in a particular meeting, no matter which topic they were about.)
69    
70  [4],[5] Make explicit the difference between a file  [4],[5] Make explicit the difference between a file
71  and items, "a thing we care about":  and items, "a thing we care about":
72    
73      Things currently represented by files or folders,      Also, many items that do have a representation in current systems--
74      such as documents or projects, are usually      for example appointments (often all appointments are stored
75      items, but there are several items that are not files:      in a binary, proprietary database file) and e-mail
76      appointments (often all appointments are stored      (usually several stored in one file)-- are not represented as files.
77      in a binary, proprietary database file by programs),      It is not possible to make connections
78      emails (usually several stored in one file), ...      between an e-mail and an appointment if they are stored
79        in different files.
     XXX  
80            
81  (XXX mention longhorn calendar?)  (XXX mention longhorn calendar?)
82    
# Line 82  in light of the "connotations" of hypers Line 130  in light of the "connotations" of hypers
130  Defer to ZZ tutorial for details (say that explaining  Defer to ZZ tutorial for details (say that explaining
131  how zzstructure is used is beyond the scope of this paper).  how zzstructure is used is beyond the scope of this paper).
132    
133  [22] Add screenshot of Gzz in action, to illustrate ZZ  [22] Add screenshot of Gzz in action, to illustrate ZZ:
134    change2.png, hop1.png (rename :))
135    
136    
137  3.2 Resource Description Framework (RDF)  3.2 Resource Description Framework (RDF)

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