4.1.1 Linking
The first form of software function that was repeatedly emphasized across each
of the projects was the ability to form links between pieces of information.
Links can be used to represent relationships between interrelated or connected
information, and allow the multiple arrangements of the same data. Each project
which emphasized the importance of linking did so from a slightly different perspective.
In the ESCAPE project, the linking function of HyperCard was used mainly to provide
a largely hierarchical access to the data provided within the information system.
This provided a somewhat more efficient access to the data than might have been
provided in a traditional book, particularly for items like computer based plans
of study, which needed to access the same course from multiple "cards" in the system.
Landow used Intermedia with a much more elaborate rationale for the use of the linking
it provided. Intermedia supported the representation of connectivity and allowed the
representation of the interrelated and multicausal nature of literary study. For instance,
each author overview included links to all the material in the corpus related to that author,
thus providing entry points into the materials. The PGT project took advantage
of the AthenaMuse software capability to also represent "links" through directed graph structures.
The project contains an electronic book consisting of short text
documents and photographic images. All documents are indexed and cross referenced through
hypertext-like linkages. These linkages allow students to use a table of contents and an
index both of which serve as conventional entry points. Students may traverse the pages
by selecting words with the mouse and following the link to view a reference by using a
"look up" function, which combines the functions of a table of contents and an index.