Re: online/manual debate

[Gwen Gall <ggall -at- CA -dot- ORACLE -dot- COM>]

In-Reply-To: CNSEQ1:TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- ucc -dot- okstate -dot- edu's message of 09-22-94 08:15

<There's an article in the most recent Journal of the STC about the use of a
<graphical browser to aid in comprehension of the size and scope of an online
<help system.  A graphical browser is a sort of online road map, showing the
<topics and links, an overall view of how big the online help system is and
<where you have been in it.  The results of the study in the STC article seem
<to suggest that people have a better overall retention rate of information
<and are more confident about finding that information again with the use
<of a graphical browser.

<Does anyone have experience with one of these?  Thoughts?  Opinions?

I have seen some sophisticated data visualization systems for building user
interfaces and the like--the same thing would be terrific for online, hypertext
linked documents, _especially_ in 3-D. Does the WWW and/or Mosaic have anything
like this?

It reminds me of Unix: you sit there at a (perhaps) barren prompt (%, for
exmaple), and you don't know where you are, where the files and programs you
want to use are, why they are not recognized when you try to execute them, and
even how to find out what's wrong. Does anyone remember the graphical file
system presentation in Jurassic Park? The one the girl (for once ;-)) saves
the day by issuing the correct commands. That kind of thing.

Cheers,

Gwen (ggall -at- ca -dot- oracle -dot- com)

        "The question is not the size of your intelligence,
        but how you use the little amount of it you might have."

                                --Sir John Guilgud