Adding Hypermedia Capabilities
to Existing Products

(C) 1990, J. Vilkaitis, Ref. Patent # 4,791,556
By adding a few simple commands, you can add the benefits of Hypermedia to existing PC and Mac products, boosting product sales and gaining an opportunity to sell major upgrades to existing users.

How hard is it? One licensee reports adding the core technology to an existing editor in a mere eight man hours. Another spent two days to built a set of macros to implement TabTalk technology in a UNIX based word processor (CRISP,) and used it to debug a complex C database system.

* WARNING: HYPERMEDIA IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE! *

The Essence of Hypermedia

The essence of hypermedia is simply the ability to access information in a non-linear way - letting the user select what he or she wants to see next, and doing so WITHOUT remembering or typing file names or commands.

Power users have trained themselves to remember dozens of file names, select the appropriate one, and type that file name yet again, all without loosing (too much of) their train of thought. Normal users are either restricted by the number of files they can remember, or end up framing their computer screens with those little yellow Post-It notes.

Here's how you can get your share of 3M's Post-It marketplace!

Key Hypermedia Principles

Use Embedded File Names

The simplest way of linking files, is to let the user put the names of other files in the file he has on the screen. Some users already do this, using file names in documents or spread sheet cells to remind themselves of related files.

You can help your user by letting him select one of those names via the cursor, and letting him access that file by tapping a key, such as the ENTER or F4 key. This technique treats file names as typed icons, giving your program an "object oriented" flavor.

You can reduce your user's fear of inadvertently loosing data by politely saving the current file if he modified it.

You can further encourage your user to link his files together by providing an empty file whenever he attempts to access a file that is not there. This technique not only provides an easy means of making new files, but also insures that he leaves a file name in the previous file, linking the new file to it, thus giving himself a quick way of finding his way around his files.

It all becomes like one of those adventure games, where you move around in the rooms of a huge cave - a cave YOU build of YOUR OWN information! That's why Hypermedia is so exciting!

Have the Computer Find Embedded File Names

It is inconvenient to read the whole screen for embedded file names, and to juggle the arrow keys or a mouse to pick a file. Each glance to find the cursor pad, the mouse, etc. is yet another distraction, even if it is far less distracting than remembering and retyping file names. And remember, not everyone has a mouse.

Our technique is to let the user permanently designate embedded file names and commands with ->, and to use a dedicated key, such as the TAB or F3 key, to cause the COMPUTER to scan the cursor to the next command indicator in the file. Once the computer can find the next command for him, your user doesn't need to read the screen, YOUR USER DOES NOT EVEN NEED TO KNOW WHAT A COMMAND LOOKS LIKE!

Treat complex commands in a similar manner - let your user embed commands anywhere in the file, and/or a pop-up cheat-sheet, then use them over and over by TABing to a command and ENTERing it. Your user teaches the program by recording his work as menus.

Since your user can help others by simply passing on his files, he recommends your product to anyone he might help. He becomes your product champion - your dedicated salesman. Those files spawn a market for add-on products, each of which suggests more reasons to buy your product!

Make Backtracking Easy

While TAB and ENTER are nice, their power lets the user run into the woods till he gets lost. Your user needs a way of getting back home safely and conveniently, without having to remember his way or leaving a Hansel and Graetel like trail of file names. He needs a backtrack key.

Our technique is to push the old file name and cursor position onto a STACK whenever the ENTER key brings up a file. Later, when your user taps the ESCape key, your program retrieves the name of the previous file from this STACK, and uses it to re-load that file.

Once your user sees he can always use the ESCape key to travel back to familiar ground, he feels safer with your product than with other products. This new politeness makes other programs seem rude and less desirable. And if we all use the same keys and symbols, the familiarity helps sell ALL of our products!

Map Your User's World For Him

You can give your user a navigation menu via the the F2 key using our technique. Keep the STACK as short memory resident text file. As you insert each file name, copy some of the text after the file name, and indent it by one space for each level of nesting. Retain some number of lines beyond the current stack entry and it organizes itself as an outline MAPPING your user's work.

You can help your user resume his work by saving this MAP between sessions and restoring the current file from this map as your program comes up. This gives him the feeling it is his personal tool. You can allow multiple users on one machine while making each one want his own legitimate copy, by incorporating the serial number or your user's name in the name of the map file.

Conclusion:

WARNING: These techniques produce addictive products! While testing this technology, secretaries wanted to buy the machine to track correspondence at work! NASA asked to license this technology for the space station. We use it to connect and move through program source (and note) files along the logical chain of execution. A prototype editor demonstrating this technology is available.

This simple hypermedia access command set is covered by patent 4,791,556, and is available for license from Software General Corp., P. O. Box 26, Thomaston, Ct. 06787. Contact John V. Vilkaitis at 408-983-0518 or 860-283-4232.

(C) 1995, SGC. Comments to: sgc@mall-net.com
Software General Corp.

SOFTWARE GENERAL CORP

Software Simply General

Software General Corp.
P. O. Box 26
Thomaston, CT. 06787