WWWeb Hypertext Style

Summary Of Conclusions

• In addition to providing content, hypertext authors must deal with document structure and user interface design issues. Hypertext structure editors are needed. Hypertext style standards are needed. See: Document = Content + Structure + User Interface.
  
  
• Writing a true hypertext document using a "chunk" or "page" editor that cannot manage a collection of chunks is difficult if not impossible.
  
  
• Word processing/desktop publishing packages are paper-centric tools that are only useful for writing pseudo hypertext documents for the WWWeb.
  
  
• Standalone hypertext systems that cannot publish to the WWWeb are not viable.
  
  
• Navigation aids common in books should be present in hypertext documents. See: Hypertext Features of Books.
  
  
• A hypertext table of contents should be distributed. A detailed link map is generally too complex to be of much use to either readers or authors. See also: Computer Generated Table of Contents.
  
  
• Sections or chunks of hypertext documents should contain contextual information similar to that provided in headers/footers of books. See: Page Header/Footer.
  
  
• Cross references should be used in hypertext documents to provide links to context, not to implement sequence links. See Terminology Being Used regarding types of links.
  
  
• Hypertext documents should at least have a section or chunk index. See: Indexes, hypertext index.
  
  
• Hypertext readers should not be able to enter a node accidently by scrolling. See Technical Issues Regarding Hypertext Systems.
  
  
• A hypertext browser should preserve the reader's context between sessions. See Previous/Next Page.
  
  
• White space should be used in hypertext WWWeb documents, as it is in printed publications, to improve readability.
  
  
• Most hypertext theory is still being published as paper-based linear text in books, not as WWWeb-based hypertext. See: Other Hypertext Style Sources.