Hypertext
Hypertext is an electronic text format that enables users to navigate between linked objects, which may include text, images, audio, videos, and other multimedia elements. This interconnectedness allows for a non-linear exploration of information, as users can click on hypertext links to access related content, enriching their understanding of the original topic. The term "hyperlink" has become more prevalent due to the increasing variety of linked objects beyond just text. Hypertext is primarily created using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), a standard coding language for web pages.
The concept of hypertext was first introduced in the 1960s by Ted Nelson during his work on Project Xanadu, aiming to create a comprehensive database of documents. Historically, even before the Internet's emergence, software utilized similar linking features to provide definitions or further information on specific terms. As the Internet grew, hypertext became a foundational element of web design, allowing users to easily traverse vast amounts of information. This dynamic system enhances the way knowledge is organized and accessed in the digital age, reflecting a shift in how people interact with information online.
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Hypertext
Hypertext is a type of text in an electronic document or on an Internet page that is hyperlinked, or connected, to objects such as other text, graphics, music, pictures, programs, videos, and more. The term hyperlink is generally replacing hypertext because links to objects other than text are becoming increasingly common. When a user selects, or clicks, on the hypertext, the user is taken to the linked object. The linked object usually provides additional information related to the original topic or document. Hyperlink text usually has a different appearance from other text. It can be a different color, such as blue, or be underlined, or both. Hypertext uses Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML.
History
The term hypertext was coined in the 1960s by American information technology expert Ted Nelson (1937–). While he was a student at Harvard University, he was working on a computing interface project called Project Xanadu and came up with the term to describe it. He wanted a way to preserve document sources so they were all in one place in a database. The project never materialized, but the advent of hypertext changed the way people organized electronic information.
Prior to the invention of the Internet, software programmers used links to dictionaries and encyclopedias in their programs that allowed people to find out more information about specific topics or words. Apple's HyperCard was one of the first databases to use hypertext. After the Internet was developed and became widely available, the use of hypertext became a popular way to link topics on a web page to related information on the Internet.
How It Works
When a person reads a web page about a topic, hypertext may be included on the page. He or she can click the hypertext and be connected to other related web pages, audio or video files, images, and more. These links provide more information related to the original topic. For example, a person reading a page about Renaissance art may click on the hypertext Leonardo da Vinci, which takes him or her to another page about the artist's life or even causes an image of the artist or one of his famous paintings, such as the Mona Lisa, to appear on the screen. The reader may click on hypertext such as oil painting that links him or her to a web page to purchase oil painting supplies or a list of art classes available in the area.
Hypertext is not linear or sequential, which means it does not have an apparent order. People can click on hypertext anywhere on an electronic document or a web page, and then again on other hypertext from that link to pursue additional information on a topic.
Bibliography
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Beal, Vangie. "Hypertext." Webopedia. 24 May 2021, www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/hypertext.html. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
"Hypertext." TechTerms. Sharpened Productions. Web. 24 Nov. 2015. http://techterms.com/definition/hypertext. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Montecino, Virginia. "What Is Hypertext?" Education and Technology Resources. George Mason University. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/hypertext.htm/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
"What Is Hypertext?" Geeks for Geeks, 25 June 2024, www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-is-hypertext/#. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.