Hypermedia

From What's new, new media?

What is Hypermedia?

Hypermedia is: A computer-based information retrieval system that enables a user to gain or provide access to texts, audio and video recordings, photographs, and computer graphics related to a particular subject.

Contents 1 Understanding hypermedia 1.1 Definition of hypermedia 1.2 The difference between hypermedia & hypertext 1.3 The difference between hypermedia & multimedia 1.4 Hypermedia Examples 2 History of hypermedia 2.1 Timeline 2.2 Hypermedia now 3 Hypermedia Models 3.1 Hypertext Abstract Machine 3.2 Dexter Hypertext Reference Model 3.3 The Flag Taxonomy 3.4 Open Hypermedia Systems 4 Hypermedia Technology 5 Applications 5.1 Effective Education 5.2 Organizational Hypermedia 6 Hypermedia Systems 6.1 Intermedia 6.2 World-Wide-Web 6.3 NSCA Mosaic and Netscape 6.4 Arena 6.5 MathBrowser 6.6 HyperCard, Toolbook and MetaCard 6.7 LinksWare 6.8 Hyper-G 6.9 Interactive Calculus Courses 6.10 CAN/RIACA Interactive Book on Lie Algebra 6.11 Microcosm (UK) 6.12 Mathematical Simulation Environments 7 Future Directions of Hypermedia 8 References:

[edit] Understanding hypermedia

[edit] Definition of hypermedia

Hypermedia is a term created by Ted Nelson, and used in his 1965 article Complex information processing: a file structure for the complex, the changing and the indeterminate.[1] “It is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext, in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information. This contrasts with the broader term multimedia, which may be used to describe non-interactive linear presentations as well as hypermedia. The difference should also be noted with hypergraphics or super-writing which is a Lettrist form from the 1950s which systemises creativity across disciplines.”[2]

The World Wide Web is a classic example of hypermedia, whereas a non-interactive cinema presentation is an example of standard multimedia due to the absence of hyperlinks.

[edit] The difference between hypermedia & hypertext

Hypertext: Hypertext is a text which contains links to other texts, which was proposed by Ted Nelson around 1965.[3]

This is a sketch of hypertext:

Hypermedia: Hypermedia, a term derived from hypertext, extends the notion of the hypertext link to include links among any set of multimedia objects, including sound, motion video, and virtual reality. [1]

This is a sketch of hypermedia:

Growing out of hypertext, this is much the same thing, but in a multimedia environment, whereby the links may also be in the form of pictures or even of animation or video. The Web is, increasingly, becoming a hypermedia environment rather than merely hypertext. http://www.highway57.co.uk/glossary.html

As a conclusion, hypermedia is hypertext + multimedia.

[edit] The difference between hypermedia & multimedia

Multimedia means that computer information can be represented through audio, video, and animation in addition to traditional media (e.g. text, graphics drawings, and images).

Hypermedia can be considered as one of the multimedia applications.

Examples of Multimedia Applications • Digital video editing and production systems • Electronic Newspapers/Magazines • Games • Groupware

[edit] Hypermedia Examples

Below are examples of different media you can experience via the Web. Your web browser must be properly configured to display these media types. (--Yinyin 20:27, 23 October 2006 (UTC))

This is a song, select this link to hear it .(http://www.illan.com.cn/music/zhendeaini.wma)

This is a 2D image. Select this link to view it.[2]

This is a 3D image. Select this link to view it.[3]

This is a movie, with synchronized sound and audio. Select this link to view it.http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-767026697948115384&q=mtv&hl=en

Hypertext experiments • Jim Rosenberg: Diagram Series http://www.well.com/user/jer/d5/d5_Intro.html • Robert Kendall: — Clues http://www.wordcircuits.com/clues — Seasons http://www.eastgate.com/Seasons/

[edit] History of hypermedia

[edit] Timeline

Timeline of hypermedia development:

Visions -> technology (hypercard) -> e.g. Encarta -> present hypermedia

1945 Vannevar Bush (The Science Advisor to President Roosevelt during World War II) proposes MEMEX, a conceptual machine that can store vast amounts of information, in which users have the ability to create information trails, links of related texts and illustrations, which can be stored and used for future reference. [4]

1965 Ted Nelson coins the word "hypertext".

1967 Andy van Dam and others build the Hypertext Editing System.

1968 Doug Engelbart demonstrates NLS, a hypertext system.

1975 ZOG (now KMS), a distributed hypermedia system, debuts at Carnegie-Mellon.

1978 The Aspen Movie Map, the first hypermedia videodisc, demonstrated by MIT's Architecture Machine Group.

1981 Ted Nelson conceptualizes "Xanadu", a central, pay-per-document hypertext database encompassing all written information. Read the Xanadu FAQ at http://jolt.mpx.com.au:70/0h/faq.html.

1984 Telos introduces Filevision, a hypermedia database for the Macintosh.

1985 Janet Walker creates the Symbolics Document Examiner.

1985 Intermedia, a hypermedia system, is conceived at Brown University by Norman Meyrowitz and others.

1986 OWL introduces GUIDE, a hypermedia document browser.

1987 Apple Computers introduces HyperCard, the first widely available personal hypermedia authoring system.

1987 The Hypertext '87 Workshop is held in North Carolina.

1989 Autodesk, a major CAD software manufacturer, takes on Xanadu as a project.

1989 Tim Berners-Lee proposes the World-Wide Web project.

1990 ECHT (European Conference on Hypertext).

1992 Autodesk drops the Xanadu project.

1993 A Hard Day's Night becomes the first full-length movie to be transcribed into a hypertext format and distributed via compact disc.

1994 World-Wide Web byte traffic surpasses Gopher traffic on the NSFnet.

Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen form Mosaic Communications Corporation. World Conference on Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia in Vancouver, Canada.

1995 Netscape Corp. gains market value of almost $3B on first day of stock market trading (1998: AOL buys Netscape for $4B)

1996 Nokia’s first communicator series

1997 developing mobile protocols

1998 Bluetooth: devices ”talk to each other”

GPS Global Positioning System

2002 Work begins on Semantic Web

2003 Proposals for Adaptive Web

[edit] Hypermedia now

• Hypermedia is moving for computers to our pockets

• Media environment is our new personal space

• Media is changing our behavior and skills — arranging appointments — writing ”mediated environment”

• Personalization of services by identification

• Mobile technology (also tech. that we move with/on us) concretizes long term development: — Pervasive computing: always present, pervasive, omnipresent technology

[edit] Hypermedia Models

[edit] Hypertext Abstract Machine

Hypermedia is divided into: 1) User interface, 2) hypermedia application (client), 3) HAM Hypermedia "engine" (server) that retrieves link and node information from database and passes that to the hypermedia application, and 4) database.

[edit] Dexter Hypertext Reference Model

The Dexter Hypertext Reference Model is an attempt to capture both formally and informally the important abstractions found in a wide range of existing and future hypermedia systems (Halasz & Schwartz, 1994). Purpose of Dexter model is that it is standard hypertext terminology coupled with a formal model of the important abstractions commonly found in a wide range of hypertext systems. Dexter model is actually a formal specification of generic hypermedia system written in Z (Proceedings of the Hypertext Workshop, NIST Special publication 1990).

The model is divided into three layers:

Run-time layer: presentation of the hypertext, user interaction, dynamics

Storage layer: database containing network of nodes and links

Within component layer: the contents/structure of nodes.

[edit] The Flag Taxonomy

If the Dexter model was an attempt to capture the best design ideas of first and second generation hypermedia systems, the flag taxonomy (Osterbye and Wiil, 1996) was an attempt to classify and describe individual OHSs. The flag taxonomy also aims to characterize what is an OHS and to compare OHSs in a system independent way. In fact, the flag taxonomy builds upon the terminology of Dexter and retains some of the basic classifications that originally introduced in the Dexter model (e.g. structure and content).

[edit] Open Hypermedia Systems

OHSs are the combination of two relatively independent threads of hypermedia research (Wiil & Legget, 1997): Hyperbase Management Systems (HBMSs) and Link Server Systems (LSSs). The main feature which distinguishes HBMSs from LSSs, is that HBMSs in addition to the management of links and provision of link services to third-party tools, support a storage and sometimes a data model manager subsystem (Wiil & Legget, 1996). This subsystem usually provides the internal management of the data and meta-data (i.e. links and anchors), and sometimes supports collaboration between multiple users.

Links:

Hypermedia Models http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~mm/s95/sspace/Hypermedia_Models_393.html The Amsterdam hypermedia model: adding time and context to the Dexter model http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=175239&coll=portal&dl=ACM An object-oriented hypermedia reference model formally specified in UML http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=949812&dl=acm&coll=&CFID=15151515&CFTOKEN=6184618 Document Model Issues for Hypermedia http://ftp.cwi.nl/mmpapers/DocMod.ps.gz

Hypermedia - Basic Hypermedia Model http://www.it.teithe.gr/~cs1msa/hyp0.html#30

[edit] Hypermedia Technology

• Holographics North - large format holograms. Some of the largest in the world. Cutting edge. [5]

• Holobank Security Hologram Products

• Holoshields- New spectacular holographic product for cell phones. Wholesale inquiries invited.

• AD 2000 - HoloBank stock image collection. Largest collection of ready to use holograms and the premium items to put them on. Custom personalization of stock images and custom holograms.

• Total Register -Laser registration devices for the converting industry. High speed rotary holographic embossing and hotstamping single unit machines.

• James River Products Complete Holographic Systems for; embossing, converting, and making resist masters. HeCd Laser origination Labs, Mechanical Recombining, resist plate spinning and more.

• The Hologram Universe -A consortium of companies who specialize in applying holographic technology.

• Transfer Print Foils, Inc. (TPF) - mass produced micro-embossed foil holograms and holographic foils.

• Blue Ridge Holographics Specializing exclusively in photoresist mastering. Years of experience says it all.

• Holographic Studios Specializing in Integral Holography. One of the only labs of its type in the world. One of the oldest commercial integral holography labs. First holographic gallery in the United States. Dr. Laser.

• Broadbent Holography-Specializing in Holographic Optical Elements (HOES), Filters, Diffraction Gratings, Artwork for Masters, Consumer novelty items.

• Cherry Optical - holographic mastering and custom art installation. Collection of fine art holograms.

• Holaxis Corporation - commercial trade show holograms for corporate uses.

• Holographic Dimensions - mass produced embossed holograms

[edit] Applications

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 online 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.

[edit] Effective Education

According the book Multimedia in the Classroom, Agnew, Kellerman and Meyer write under the assumption that students learn better if they: • Construct knowledge actively, not merely receive information passively[6] • Learn to work in groups as well as alone [7] • Use multiple sensory modalities, in addition the most important (writing and reading text)[8] Hypermedia projects can help students achieve a wide variety of goals: [9]

• Develop higher-order thinking skills

• Develop group and interpersonal skills

• Learn content in a given discipline

• Develop technical skills

http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edpy485/mmedia/educ.htm

[edit] Organizational Hypermedia

Organizational hypermedia is hypermedia technology applied to the information processing needs of an organization where information is shared among individuals [Isakowitz, 1993]. Daft and Lengel had stated that uncertainty and equivocality are two problems faced by present-day organizations. Hence, they acquire more information in order to reduce uncertainty. However, this does not solve the problem of equivocality or ambiguity inherent in organizational tasks. Minimization of equivocality requires face-to-face discussions and rich exchange of views among decision makers. Both uncertainty and equivocality can be reduced by employing hypermedia functionality in organizational information systems. Since hypermedia provides the structural mechanisms to manage complex relationships between various pieces of information, it can support equivocality reduction (similar to CMC systems). However, experiments are required to support these theories. Similar to group memory in a collaborative system, an organization manages information in a repository called "organizational memory". Organizational memories contain entities such as facts, positions, and events which are highly suitable for hypertext representation. However, hypermedia systems should address some of the problems associated with organizational memory such as pollution, growth, waste, restructuring, interoperability, and flexibility.

[edit] Hypermedia Systems

In this section I discuss some of the hypermedia systems. Links and discussion of other systems may be found from CERN: An Overview of Hypertext and IR systems and applications.

[edit] Intermedia

A well known hypermedia system is Intermedia developed at Brown Universitys Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship (IRIS) between 1985 and 1990 (see for example [Haan, ACM Comm. Jan 1992]). Intermedia is a multiuser hypermedia framework where hypermedia functionality is handled at system level. Intermedia presents the user graphical file system browser and a set of applications that can handle text, graphics, timelines, animations and videodisc data. There is also a browser for link information, a set of linguistic tools and the ability to create and traverse links. Link information is isolated from the documents and are saved into separate database. The start and end position of the link are called anchors.

[edit] World-Wide-Web

World Wide Web (WWW) is a global hypermedia system on Internet. It can be described as wide-area hypermedia information retrieval initiative aiming to give universal access to a large universe of documents [Hug93]. It was originally developed in CERN for transforming research and ideas effectively throughout the organization [Hug93]. Through WWW it is possible to deliver hypertext, graphics, animation and sound between different computer environments. To use WWW the user needs a browser, for example NCSA Mosaic and a set of viewers, that are used to display complex graphics, animation and sound. NCSA Mosaic is currently available on X-Windows, Windows and Macintosh.

[edit] NSCA Mosaic and Netscape

The browser itself can read hypertext documents that are marked with HyperText Markup Language (HTML). HTML is based on Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), and contains all formatting and link information as ASCII text. HTML documents can reside on different computers on Internet, and a document is referenced by URL (Universal Resource Locator). URL is of the form http://computer.org.country/doc.html where computer.org.country is the name of the computer and doc.html is the search path to the document. In order to create a node for WWW, a HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) server application is needed. A link in WWW document is always expressed as URL. Links can be references to files in ftp-servers, Gophers, HTTP-servers or Usenet newsgroup. Netscape is a popular WWW browser developed by Netscape Communications Corp. Netscape 1.1 supports some HTML 3.0 features (tables) and has interesting API, that makes it possible to develop Documents that are formatted using RTF can be transfered to HTML by using a converter RTFtoHTML. It generates HTML document from the original RTF document and a set of picture files if the RTF document contained pictures. In the HTML document links are created to the graphics files. The graphics can be viewed on most environments if pictures are of type GIF.

[edit] Arena

Arena is an experimental WWW browser developed in CERN. It supports HTML 3.0 and thus is able to display mathematical formulas and tables.

[edit] MathBrowser

Recently, The Mathsoft company has announced MathBrowser, a WWW-browser that can display HTML and MathCAD documents. MathBrowser has a computational engine and interface similar than MathCAD, allowing the student to edit MathCAD documents through the Internet. MathBrowser is used to distribute a collection of Shaum's outline series in electronic form.

[edit] HyperCard, Toolbook and MetaCard

HyperCard is hypermedia authoring software for Macintosh computers. It is based on a card-metafora. Hypercard application is called a stack or a collection of stacks. Each stack consists of cards and only one card is visible in a stack. A card is displayed in fixed size window. Hypertext links can be programmed by creating buttons and writing a HyperTalk script for the button. MetaCard is similar application than HyperCard but it runs in Unix environments. MetaCard offers the ability to create and modify applications using interactive tools and a simple scripting language. Intrestingly, HyperCard stacks can be imported to MetaCard. However there are some incoptabilities on the HyperTalk and MetaTalk, so advanced stacks dont run without modifications.

[edit] LinksWare

LinksWare is a commercial hypermedia authoring software for Macintosh that can create hypertext links between text files created with different word processors. LinksWare uses a set of translators to convert files to its own format (Claris XTND system). This can make the opening of a file very slow. LinksWare can open files that contain mathematical text, but files may be formatted differently than in original document, especially formulae do not appear to have proper line heights. In addition, it can not create links to other applications. However, it can create links to Apple script command files that can open an application and execute commands for that application.

[edit] Hyper-G

Hyper-G is the name of an hypermedia project currently under development at the IICM. Like other hypermedia undertakings, Hyper-G will offer facilities to access a diversity of databases with very heterogeneous information (from textual data, to vector graphics and digitized pictures, courseware and software, digitized speech and sound, synthesized music and speech, and digitized movie-clips). Like other hypermedia-systems it will allow browsing, searching, hyperlinking, and annotation. Like no other big hypermedia system known today, it will also support automatic indexing and link-generation, a variety of automatic consistency-checks, a built-in messaging and computer conferencing system, a special editor allowing the incorporation of animation sequences, question/answer dialogues, and a number of unorthodox man-machine interfaces. Further, and maybe most important of all, it is built on the basis of already existing large databases: hundreds of CAI lessons, a large general-purpose encyclopaedia in hypermedia form, a number of smaller special-purpose lexica, a data-base of thousands of pictures, some pieces of digitized sound and movie-clips, and links to other databases in other networks. A number of smaller spin-off applications are surfacing which are mainly pursued by IMMIS and have led to research in the area of computerisation of various aspects of museums.

[edit] Interactive Calculus Courses

However, there are also whole courses implemented in computer form. A package called Calculus&Mathematica is a calculus course that uses Mathematica notebooks to present theory, examples and exercises. Students can fully access Mathematica by typing in commands in Mathematica language. Each notebook introduces the theory of the topic, which is followed by examples. Calculus&Mathematica contains a special font for the presentation of mathematical formulas. The Transitional Mathematics Project at Imperial College London has produced similar Mathematica notebooks to be used in calculus courses. At the end of each notebook there is a set of exercises to be solved with pen and paper and evaluated by the computer. Some feedback is provided for the student ("you got 2 out of 4 correct"). Mathematical formulas are created with a special formula editor and transferred to notebooks as pictures. This kind of material certainly has its place in the classroom. It offers the capabilities of computer algebra systems to students right from the beginning of their mathematics studies. The disadvantage is that students must learn the material in sequental order; it is not possible to choose an individual order of progress. Apart from the possibility to open and close notebook cells, there are no hypertext features in Mathematica. Until recently only a few courses in mathematics have been implemented as hypertext. One example is "A Simple Introduction to Numerical Analysis". The material is published on a CD-ROM that contains the hypertext material, animations and graphical tools. Another interesting course is a hypertext version of "Introduction to Algorithms". This CD-ROM contains hypertext, several animations and QuickTime movies. These high-quality texts and animations add a new dimension to learning mathematics. To see a sorting algorithm in action gives the user a mental reference or orientation basis to which to relate the theory and implementation of that algorithm. However, there is a problem related to the way the material is put together. For the reader the material seems to be a collection of cards or stacks that do not form an entity. This problem is partly due to a limitation in HyperCard; HyperCard is not able to treat mathematical formulas as written text. That is why they must be transferred as pictures. HyperCard can present pictures and text only on cards, not on scrollable text fields. The card itself is not in a scrollable window and only one card can be visible at a time. As a result, when a new card is turned on, all the previous information disappears with the old card.

[edit] CAN/RIACA Interactive Book on Lie Algebra

In Amsterdam CAN/RIACA is developing a hypermedia system on Lie Algebra. They also participate in OpenMath development.

[edit] Microcosm (UK)

Microcosm is an attempt to include hypertext functionality into several applications like Microsoft Word and Exel. Microcosm has a dynamical linking facility, ie. it tries to create possible links based on the selection made by the user. Applications are divided as Microcosm aware or simple viewers. Links are saved to separate link database in Microcosm server.

[edit] Mathematical Simulation Environments

Simulation environments are not hypermedia applications as such. However, they are an important part of a hypermedia based learning environment on mathematics and engineering sciences.

[edit] Future Directions of Hypermedia

There is a trend that hypertext features start to appear in ordinary applications like word processors, spreadsheets etc. This is called hypertext functionality within an application. Good examples of this is Microsoft Internet Assistant, MathBrowser and MatSyma. Eventually, this will lead to system software containing support for hypertext features, nodes, links and browsing.

[edit] References:

1.A File Structure for The Complex, The Changing and the Indeterminate By T. H. Nelson (1965) http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=806036

2.What Is Hypermedia? by H.L. Ashman(1994) http://newmedia.wikia.com/wiki/What_is_hypermedia_by_H.L._Ashman_%281994%29

3. Hypermedia/Multimedia http://www.cs.sfu.ca/CourseCentral/365/li/material/notes/Chap1/Chap1.html

4. Appendix A: A Hypermedia Timeline http://www.maths.tcd.ie/local/JUNK/guide/guide.14.html

5. Holography http://www.hmt.com/holography/index.html

6. Hypermedia and discovery based learning: What value? http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet21/jacobs.html

7. Khentout, Chabane; Harous, Saad; Douidi, Lamri; Djoudi, Mahieddine. International Journal of Instructional Media, 2006, Vol. 33 Issue 3, p265-276, 12p, 1 chart, 1 diagram; (AN 22262781) LEARNING AND NAVIGATION ASSISTANCE IN A HYPERMEDIA.

8. Pearson, Matthew; Lewin, Cathy. Learning, Media, & Technology, Oct2005, Vol. 30 Issue 3, p259-261, 3p; DOI: 10.1080/17439880500250444; (AN 19426843) Online education and learner autonomy: reports from the field.

9. Using Multimedia for Effective Education http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edpy485/mmedia/educ.htm