The idea for hypermedia was originally proposed by Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) in 1945. Known as Memex (Memory Extender), Bush described the system as a "mechanised private file and library" and as "a device in which an individual stores his (sic) books, records and communications, and which is mechanised so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility" (from Nielsen, p.33). The information was intended to be stored on microfilm, with several projections allowing comparison of several documents simultaneously, in much the same way as today's Windowsä-based operating systems.

Twenty years later, in 1965, the term hypertext was first used by Ted Nelson, a hypertext pioneer who began developing a system known as Xanadu, and whose vision was to have available online all documentation ever written - a project which is still under development. Doug Engelbert began the Augment project in 1962, a part of which was NLS (oNLine System) which possessed several hypertext features. Researchers on the Augment project stored their reports, memos and other writings in a shared "journal", allowing cross-referencing of data and the addition of new work - a journal which grew to over 100 000 documents.

By the end of the 1980s, the hypertext system had undergone various developments thanks to research and experiments carried out by various software development companies, and became a recognised standard in computer technology. The first ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) conference on hypertext took place at the University of North Carolina in November 1987, followed by another in York in 1989, both of which saw unprecedented levels of attendance from industry personnel. Also in 1989, Hypermedia, the first scientific journal dedicated to hypertext was published by Taylor Graham.

By the 1990s, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) had grown in popularity, bringing hypermedia to the public's attention. In 1993, the Voyager Company released the Beatles" Hard Day's Night, which, considering the vast amounts of storage space needed for digital video and sound (see later notes on CD-Roms as storage mediums), was only possible because the film was relatively short, and shot in monochrome. The CD-ROM featured the film in one corner of the screen along with the corresponding script in a constantly updating part of the screen. The CD-ROM also featured hyperlinks to specific scenes or songs within the film's narrative, and to other related multimedia documents such as photo galleries interviews and film credits.

By the mid-1990s there was a rapid growth in Internet use due to the standardisation of specifications of the World Wide Web (or W3) by CERN (the European Centre for Nuclear Physics Research) in Switzerland. It is believed that WWW use became popular because they were originally provided free to the public, since the projects were funded by taxpayers, both in Europe and in the USA.

The Internet as we know it today is made up of a web of hi-tech backbones, which are high-capacity networks that transfer computer data between individual sites and usually span entire countries or parts of the world. The backbone nets are interconnected further to form the entire Internet, which allows individual computers and small networks from all corners of the world to communicate via gateway connections between LANs (Local Area Networks) and the WWW. Research in 1994 estimated that Internet use almost doubles every year (from Nielsen, p.170), an estimate which is supported by figures that reached just under 30 million hosts in January 1998 from just 16 million a year earlier (from Hobbes" Inetrnet Timeline). Internet technology is improving regularly, and offers users more information and entertainment facilities each new software and network development. It is already possible to send and receive e-mail (electronic mail) and transfer digital data files between computers via ftp (file transfer protocol). Developments with the Mbone (Multimedia backbone) will greatly enhance the transfer of real-time music and video over the Internet, allowing clearer videoconferencing facilities and a greater presence on the Internet of the music industry. Record companies will soon be able to host online branches of their businesses, distributing audio, promo videos, live performances, press conferences, interactive games and other promotional material over the Internet as distinctions between the recording, concert and broadcast industries blur (from Jupiter Communications press release).

Previous: Introduction to hypermedia | Next: Aims and objectives