Re: Indexing Online Books

Subject: Re: Indexing Online Books
From: Kathy Barreto <barreto -at- DREGGS -dot- CISCO -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1993 16:34:43 MST

> Mark Hagen writes:

> > The beauty of true hypertext (or my concept thereof)
> > is the fact that there is no linear underlying document; There are only
> > pieces of text (or graphics, video, sound, etc. in hypermedia) with the
> > only connection in the form of links. You certainly can't have a standard
> > TOC or index in the format in which they exist in printed works, because
> > you don't have page numbers. (There are no pages.) An itemized list of
> > information contained in the hypertext becomes merely an extensive
> > entry-point selection device, and a problematic one at that. With no page
> > numbers, how could you possibly deal with multiple references? Indexes and
> > hypertext don't mix.

> True, the index doesn't have page numbers, but it's still an index.
> It's an alphabetical list of the "pieces" -- an "entry point selection
> device," as you say. And what's wrong with that?

> You deal with multiple references by having a search mechanism; the
> result of the search is another list -- either alphabetic or, on a
> "smart" system, ranked with the most likely choices at the top --
> from which I can jump to the item I want.

> Indexes and hypertext *do* mix. I use them all the time. In fact,
> I doubt whether you can have good hypertext without indexing.

> Larry Kunz
> ldkunz -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com


Previous by Author: Typefaces discussion
Next by Author: Re: Framers mailing list and bi-monthly publication
Previous by Thread: Indexing Online Books
Next by Thread: ethics of technical to marketing writing


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads