April 5th Notes on Readings On Hypertext


Hypertext Gardens by Bernstein
  • Readers attention to the use of hypertext is important.
  • Architecture and landscape affect the placement of hypertext.
  • Rigid structure is mostly used but is costly.
  • At the beginning of hypertext, creators would create navigation tools, but now they are drifting away from that. (They believe it's an illusion).
  • There needs to be a little bit of disorientation in order for readers to make readers receptive of new ideas.
  • Having regularity and irregularity helps maintain readers' attention.
  • Hypertext can break up chunky texts and long articles.
  • Hypertexts should have a clear title. Readers would be more likely to click on it and explore then.
  • Hypertexts can use formal frames to show deliberate intent and avoiding a rigid structure.
  • Hypertexts give readers more information than what they were originally looking for.

The seven lessons from "gardening":
1. Hypertext disorientation is from muddled writing/complexity of a subject. Keep it simple.
2. Rigid structure can distort a hypertext's voice if it's always pushing readers away from the key pages.
3. Shortest path isn't always the best.
4. Hypertexts should be interesting and exciting yet confined.
5. Irregularities in punctuation enhance the hypertext pathways.
6. Gateway structures should be clear. This helps assure readers they are at the right spot.
7. Rigid structure= large hypertext seems smaller. Complex structure= small hypertext seem larger.

When I was reading this I didn't think there was great navigation hints because I never knew if I was clicking on a hypertext link that I already clicked on or not until I got to the page. Though, I did like at the conclusion hypertext page that it showed me all of the pages within the site so that I could see if I read all of it.

Reading On The Screen by Vandendorpe
  • Writing evolved from a simple style to a more complex style (like hypertext).
  • scroll and codex is similar to online texts and hyperlinks; makes texts easier to read/allowed people to read more information quicker.
  • "extensive reading" became popular when books came out. It allowed people to read certain passsages and I think that is similar to hyperlinks because they can choose to read it and learn more information about a topic briefly described in the original text.
  • Having writing on a screen allowed writers to easily correct and format the text.
  • Documents online could be accessed anywhere so everyone had access to it.
  • Scanning became a popular reading style; there are many reading styles, this shows that there are more than one way that readers understand things.
  • The longer the columns of text are, the easier it is to read.
  • The codex in books allowed people to compare and understand the reading easier than the online screen does, because an online screen allows only one page up at a time. I disagree with this concept because you can have more than one tab set up on a computer screen.
  • The scrollbar gives reader little control of how they read the text because when they move it up or down they might lose the place that they had last read.
  • A PDF on the screen allows more control with the reader's understanding. ex. highlighting, comparing the reading.
  • Hypertext gives readers a lightness feeling because by being able to jump to different texts they don't feel weighed down by one reading.
  • White margins give shape to the text and don't strain the reader's eyes as much.
  • More readers now have an expectation to read online reading than a physical text.

Computer Lib / Dream Machines by Nelson
  • Human-Computer interaction (1). Helps students stay motivated to want to learn if they are in control (13).
  • Hypertext-enabled publishing network (2). This became popular in the 1990s when the World Wide Web became popular.
  • Learning resource that is interactive (computers) (12).
  • Hypermedia- presentations that respond to users actions (13).
  • Discrete Hypertext- breaks sequence ; separate pieces of text separated with links. Arranged in relation to the subject presented (14).
  • Hypergram- a branching picture (14).
  • Stretchtext- type of hypertext that can pop up or go away within a text. Adds more information without leaving the page (15).
  • Hyper-Comics- people can read what they want and get rid of what they don't by clicking on the comic (16).
  • Talks about thinkertoys briefly (21).
  • Hypertext systems offer freedom from categorizing and chopping (28).
  • Thinkertoys section (32). Allow us to choose things that we want to look at more. Organizes alternative categories (37).
  • Xanadu- Parallel Textface's system (33). Simple for users to use.

Literary Machines by Nelson
  • Basic/Chunk-style hypertext- footnote markers, labels at end of a chunk (1).
  • Collateral Hypertext- parallel text (1).
  • Specific Hypertext- material written with specific purpose (1).
  • Grand Hypertext- everything written about a topic
  • Hypertext helps retain old information and written work; allows reader to explore work without leaving their original page.
  • Thinkertoy- separate panels of text and links shown on them.
  • Hierarchical format- storage then display then language
  • Hypertext is non-sequential writing ; create a inter-connective structure instead.
  • Anthological Hypertext- formalized
I liked the drawn examples, it made some of the concepts he was talking about easier to understand.

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