RAFAEL GIL-NOGUÉS

INTRODUCTION

This is my first work dealing with hyperlinks, hypertexts, etc. I have never been in contact with a hypertext. I think that it could be interesting help you with an introduction to this “new” and interesting world.

The hypertext is a text which is not constrained to be linear. Hypertext is a text which contains links to other texts. The term was coined by Ted Nelson around 1965.

The hypertext is a technology what organizes a base of information in diferent blocks of contents, connected by links. If you activate o select it provokes the recuperation of the information (Díaz et al, 1996).

The hypertext it could be defined as the focus to handle and organize information. This is stored in a net of connected nodes by links. The nodes contain texts and graphics, images, audio archives, animatios and video, as well as an ejecutable code or other type of information. These are named hypeways: that’s are a generalization of the hypertext.

The hyperway paradigm tries to shape the process of the human knowledge, what operates by association with links between pieces of information contained in nodes.

The principal and more showy difference what we find between the hypertext and the traditional written text is that the last one is followed by means of a sequential reading while in the first one the reader has the possibility to choose his own way of reading. The reader creates his own reading. It is an intuitive reading. The reader decides to read the text conventionally or, on the contrary, “jumping” from one to other link in the hypertext.

I haven’t found in internet a lot of information about the life of the author, Martha Conway. I would like have put here some links about her biography to understand better the significance of why she uses some narrative tools and why she does not use other in this hypertext of 8 minutes. I wanted to insert some photographies but I think that would be a good idea exploit the resource of the number eight. For example, we can see the background of this screen and in the other links.

In the abstract you can see the idea of this work. By means of links you will be able to have a lot of information (all that I have got recollected) to give you a global and an organized view related to Martha Conway and his work. For example, in the wikipedia I haven’t found any information about the author. You can see here some of the interesting ideas that this author has shown in the intersting world of hyperways.

One important point of this introduction is an explanation about that this Conway’s hypertext it is not the whole work. This is only one chapter of all of the work. We are talking the chapter seven. I think that is important to have knowledgement about this point but it doesn’t differ to the rest of the hypertext.

Academic year 2008/2009
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Rafael Gil-Nogués
ragilno@alumni.uv.es
Universitat de València Press