Authoring a hypertext database — Experiences with HyperPAD

In a hypertext database, the information is presented as a network of nodes connected by links. Such nodes may be text, graphics, audio, video, and even other software. Although hypertext provides a new approach to information management, it also leaves a whole new set of problems for the designers of the hypertext database to solve. As the volume of information grows, the task of authoring a hypertext database becomes much more complex. In this article, the author presents the experiences during the development of a hypertext version of the user's guide for information services on JANET, in the UK, by using HyperPAD, a hypertext shell for the IBM PC. It may be the first step to explore the proper way to solve those problems which come together with the increasing application of hypertext.