New aspects of hypermedia systems

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore new aspects of hypermedia systems. "Hypermedia" is a term that is widely misunderstood and misused, often loosely associated with hype about new applications of computers to multimedia. The term "multimedia" is also frequently used with too narrow a meaning. Few people appreciate the likely consequences of the new technology in all its ramifications. Electronic networks such as Internet are changing the whole mode of mass communication. The ongoing convergence of interactive computer and video technologies, coupled with new digital multimedia techniques, may eventually replace television as we now know it. Factors such as these, coupled with new developments in high-resolution digital technology, will change the quality of multimedia to such an extent that the very definition of the word must change. New types of interactive documents are proposed that let "readers" adjust the proportion of verbal and nonverbal material, determine their own preferred levels of abstraction, and enhance their own abilities in natural visual imagery. This thesis is an attempt to show what potential the new technology will have on many aspects of life, work, and learning, and presents a number of research activities carried out.