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From: dick@ccb.ucsf.edu (Dick Karpinski)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Usenet in Hypertext form
Message-ID: <1058@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu>
Date: Mon, 2-Nov-87 13:49:51 EST
Article-I.D.: ucsfcca.1058
Posted: Mon Nov  2 13:49:51 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Nov-87 02:52:23 EST
References: <8710290154.AA09880@agent99.wedge.com> <21526@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender: root@cca.ucsf.edu
Reply-To: dick@ucsfccb.UUCP (Dick Karpinski)
Organization: UCSF Computer Center
Lines: 39
Summary: Multi-function cooperative development opportunities.

In article <21526@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> oster@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu.UUCP (David Phillip Oster) writes:
>... any document can be annottated by anyone at anytime.
>... choose to turn off any subset 
>... editted by editors they trust,
>... each document has fast links to every document it references
>and each document that references it, 
>flaky theories get their rebuttals attached strongly and quickly.
>
>How can we evolve usenet news into such a system?

Note that such a system has many useful purposes:
  a. readers are active participants
  b. kudoes and flames accumulate
  c. specific meanings of words and phrases emerge
  d. each reader is a moderator available to future readers
  e. the documents and system can evolve gradually
  f. multi dimensional searching facilities develop naturally
  g. authors can retract (but not erase) their former work
  h. optical disks will have something to store
  etc.

To answer the question: only slowly and with cooperation on many
fronts by many participants.  Ted Nelson & his colleague could
assist with their hypertext system or its ideas.  The fundamental
truth is that each word will have many more readers than writers.
Thus we should attend to ease of reading above all.  

The first useful thing I see to do is to make a version of a 
popular news reading program which can follow references forward
and back.  The first major problem is how to expire unwanted
bulk text; LRU anyone?  

Dick

Dick Karpinski  Manager of Minicomputer Services, UCSF Computer Center
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