4.2.2.2 Ease of Creation and Interaction for Databases
In projects where large databases of content were used, a consistent interface
and the availability of traditional database tools like search and query were
emphasized. A particularly important attribute of Intermedia's design was its
integration of applications for creating both documents and links at a very low
system level. This design decision is referred to in the following passage:
An assumption underlying the design of Intermedia is that users
will be most likely to take advantage of the system's capabilities if they
can create links as part of their work with spreadsheets, word processors,
graphics editors, or other media. Therefore, Intermedia is not a separate
application, but rather a framework for a collection of tools that allow
authors to make links between standard types of documents created with
heterogeneous applications.
(Yankelovich, Meyrowitz & VanDam, 1985, p. 26)
Essentially, the issue of controling the relationships between data items
was moved to the sytem level rather than being placed in the traditional
application level. This decision contributed to the "usability" of Intermedia,
as evidenced by the large number of documents that were created by both Landow
and his students.