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1  ==================================================================================  ===============================================================
2            The software everybody always needed (XXX title)
3    ===============================================================
4    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
5  Hyperstructure: A Fine-Grained Hypermedia Approach to Operating Systems  Hyperstructure: A Fine-Grained Hypermedia Approach to Operating Systems
6  ==================================================================================  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
7    
8    :Authors: Benja Fallenstein, Tuomas J. Lukka
9    
10    Contents
11    ========
12    
13    - `Introduction`_
14    - `Related work`_
15    - Example scenarios:
16    
17      - `Personal information management`_
18      - `Literary research`_
19      - `Expert group process`_
20      - `Combining the scenarios`_
21    
22    - `Under the hood: Hyperstructure`_
23    - `The Fenfire project`_
24    - `Conclusions`_
25    - `References`_
26    
27    
28    
29  Abstract  Abstract
30  ========  ========
31    
32    XXX
33    
34  Introduction  Introduction
35  ============  ============
36    
37  XXX The links should not be like this! They need to be in the **references**,  Computers are supposed to be "information technology,"
38  with the author and title!  to help you to keep your information organized. But
39    we still have no good **tools to** help us **remember** our tasks,
40    ideas and obligations; no tools to organize what we
41    know about a thing, so that we can **understand** it better;
42    no tools to **structure our thoughts**; no tools,
43    when grappling with our problems today,
44    to remind us of the solutions of yesteryear.
45    
46    We need a computer that helps us keep track of addresses,
47    appointments, birthdays, budgets, employees, phone calls,
48    courses we have taken, marks we got,
49    thoughts, ideas, types of poems, types of plants,
50    classes in a program and structures in a plot.
51    
52    Instead of being centered around irrelevant computery
53    abstractions like "files" and "directories," such a system
54    should **center around the things we care about**,
55    the people, appointments, and so on. We propose a system
56    in which these *items* (`Nelson 2000`_) are visible things
57    that can be connected to each other; we propose,
58    in technical terms, a hypermedia system in which items
59    are first-class objects.
60    
61    Such a system could look as shown in Figure 1.
62    
63    .. figure:: example1.gen.png
64    
65       Figure 1: XXX (`larger image`__).
66    
67       __ full-example1.gen.png
68    
69    
70    .. OLD STUFF:
71    
72  Hypermedia was meant to be an extension to the mind.  "As We May Think,"  Hypermedia was meant to be an extension to the mind.  "As We May Think,"
73  Vannemar Bush entitled his famous article (`Bush 1945`);  Vannemar Bush entitled his famous article (`Bush 1945`);
# Line 31  etc." (2000__). Line 89  etc." (2000__).
89  __ http://www.xanadu.com.au/ted/zigzag/xybrap.html  __ http://www.xanadu.com.au/ted/zigzag/xybrap.html
90  __ http://www.xanadu.com.au/mail/zzdev/msg02237.html  __ http://www.xanadu.com.au/mail/zzdev/msg02237.html
91    
 Browsing our notes would be part of our thought process,  
 making links would be part of understanding an idea.  
 Such a computer would become a part of ourselves, an extension  
 to the mind, like the written word. It would *aid the thought  
 process* like scribbling down notes on a piece of paper,  
 unifying all the notes into a single place, an  
 external memory of sorts that would allow us to call up  
 all of our thoughts about a subject with the flick of an  
 electronic stylus.  
   
 This is yet to happen.  
   
 Current computer systems are not at all suited to the task.  
   
 What is needed is a hypermedia system in which the  
 concepts people care about-- the places, appointments, ideas,  
 the *items*, in Nelson's words (2000__)-- are visible in  
 and linkable the system. What is needed, in technical terms,  
 is a hypermedia system in which items are first-class objects.  
   
 __ http://www.xanadu.com.au/mail/zzdev/msg02237.html  
   
 In such a system, to remember that we have "a meeting with  
 Carli today at 2:15 about the book", we would create a new  
 item (the meeting) and link it to Carli (another item) and  
 the book (a third item), and also connect the meeting to its  
 scheduled time.  
   
 Then, whenever we come across the book or the person in any  
 context, we could see their connections to the meeting.  
 For example, when we are mulling about an issue we have noted  
 we must discuss with Carli (a note that would be linked  
 to the Carli-item), we could quickly see that we will meet  
 with her today. We could then link the issue to be part  
 of the meeting's agenda (an item the meeting is linked to).  
   
 (Using typed links, we could also turn particular types  
 of links on and off, and thus would not have to see the  
 connection *all* the time when thinking about Carli--  
 only when meetings are on our mind.)  
   
 Such a system would be able to appropriately represent  
 the interconnectedness of items in our lives, making hypermedia  
 truly a tool for thought.  
   
 But as long as information is stored in disconnected files,  
 as long as it is not naturally connected to the *items* it  
 is about, this will not happen (and the best we can do  
 even with advanced navigational hypertext tools  
 is to link information *in addition to*  
 entering it into the system, rather than linking it  
 *by* putting it into the system)  
   
 Therefore, we need a new computer environment, centered around  
 *items* rather than applications and files, an environment  
 where everything we do, all information that we enter, is part  
 of the network of linked items.  
   
 We need a system in which  
 appointments aren't pieces of data entered into a calendar  
 application, but items linked to other items; a system where  
 letters are not files we need to store in a directory structure,  
 but items connected to the recipients of the letter and the  
 things that are discussed in the letter; a system where our  
 ideas and problems exist as first class objects *at all*, linked  
 to the things that we need to know about them.  
   
 This is what, we submit, common-use hypermedia can be,  
 ten years from now.  
   
92  Related work  Related work
93  ------------  ============
94    
95  The system we are proposing touches on a number of ...  The system we are proposing touches on a number of ...
96    
97  Flexible structure - Unifying structured and unstructured information  Flexible structure - Unifying structured and unstructured information
98  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
99    
100  The Aquanet system by `Marshall et al (1991)`_  The Aquanet system by `Marshall et al (1991)`_
101    
# Line 135  structured and unstructured information, Line 123  structured and unstructured information,
123  one to another freer structure  one to another freer structure
124    
125  Structural computing  Structural computing
126  """"""""""""""""""""  --------------------
127    
128      Hypermedia operating systems (HOSS)      Hypermedia operating systems (HOSS)
129    
# Line 145  Structural computing Line 133  Structural computing
133      RDF, Semantic Web      RDF, Semantic Web
134    
135  Open Hypermedia  Open Hypermedia
136  """""""""""""""  ---------------
137    
138      - Focus: interoperability, existing apps.      - Focus: interoperability, existing apps.
139    
# Line 163  FOHM: step towards hyperstructure: diffe Line 151  FOHM: step towards hyperstructure: diffe
151  unified into a single conceptual structure.  unified into a single conceptual structure.
152    
153    
154  Hyperstructure  Example scenarios
155  ==============  =================
156    
157    Personal information management
158    -------------------------------
159    
160    ..
161    
162    Literary research
163    -----------------
164    
165    ..
166    
167    Expert group process
168    --------------------
169    
170    ..
171    
172    Combining the scenarios
173    -----------------------
174    
175    ..
176    
177    
178    Under the hood: Hyperstructure
179    ==============================
180    
181  Definition  Definition
182  ----------  ----------
# Line 200  What is needed for hyperstructure Line 212  What is needed for hyperstructure
212    
213    
214  Concrete architectures  Concrete architectures
215  ======================  ----------------------
216    
217  ZigZag(tm) structure  ZigZag(tm) structure
218  --------------------  """"""""""""""""""""
219    
220  Ted Nelson's original  Ted Nelson's original
221  hyperstructure and applitude concepts  hyperstructure and applitude concepts
# Line 221  independent implementations, Line 233  independent implementations,
233  - are applitudes actually implemented?  - are applitudes actually implemented?
234    
235  Fenfire  Fenfire
236  =======  """""""
237    
238  - focus on personal hypertext!  - focus on personal hypertext!
239    
# Line 238  Fenfire structures are defined by as sim Line 250  Fenfire structures are defined by as sim
250      - intent: combine into applitudes, have metadata      - intent: combine into applitudes, have metadata
251    
252    
253    The Fenfire project
254    ===================
255    
256  An example applitude combining multiple structures: FenPDF  An example applitude combining multiple structures: FenPDF
257  ==========================================================  ----------------------------------------------------------
258    
259  Combines different types of hypertext  Combines different types of hypertext
260    
# Line 252  Using Line 267  Using
267    
268  - fluid links  - fluid links
269    
270  Conclusion  Conclusions
271  ==========  ===========
272    
273    ..
274    
275  References  References
276  ==========  ==========
# Line 270  http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flash Line 287  http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flash
287  "Coexistence and transformation of informal and formal structures: requirements for more flexible hypermedia systems".  "Coexistence and transformation of informal and formal structures: requirements for more flexible hypermedia systems".
288  ACM Hypertext'94 proceedings, 1-12.  ACM Hypertext'94 proceedings, 1-12.
289    
290  .. _`Marshall et al. (1991)`:  .. _`Marshall et al (1991)`:
291    
292  **Marshall, C.C., Halasz, F.G., Rogers, R.A., Janssen, W.C. Jr.,** (1991)  **Marshall, C.C., Halasz, F.G., Rogers, R.A., Janssen, W.C. Jr.,** (1991)
293  "Aquanet: a hypertext tool to hold your knowledge in place".  "Aquanet: a hypertext tool to hold your knowledge in place".
# Line 295  ACM Hypertext'93 proceedings, 217-230. Line 312  ACM Hypertext'93 proceedings, 217-230.
312  "VIKI: spatial hypertext supporting emergent structure",  "VIKI: spatial hypertext supporting emergent structure",
313  ACM Hypertext'94 proceedings, 13-23.  ACM Hypertext'94 proceedings, 13-23.
314    
315    .. _`Nelson 2000`:
316    
317    XXX
318    
319  .. _`Nürnberg et al (1997)`:  .. _`Nürnberg et al (1997)`:
320    
321      Peter J. Nürnberg, John J. Leggett, Erich R. Schneider      Peter J. Nürnberg, John J. Leggett, Erich R. Schneider
# Line 388  Variants Line 409  Variants
409  Frame-based  Frame-based
410  -----------  -----------
411    
412    ..
413    
414  Xanalogical  Xanalogical
415  -----------  -----------
416    
417  .  ..
418    
419  Taxonomic (set inclusions)  Taxonomic (set inclusions)
420  --------------------------  --------------------------
421    
422  .  ..
423    
424  Relational / schema-based / object-oriented  Relational / schema-based / object-oriented
425  -------------------------------------------  -------------------------------------------

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