Hypertext facts for kids
A hypertext is like a special kind of text that's organized like a network. Imagine a giant web of information where different parts are connected. These connections let you jump directly from one piece of text to another related piece. The parts that create these connections are called hyperlinks. A great example of hypertext is the World Wide Web itself, where you click on links to explore different pages.
Contents
What is Hypertext?
Hypertext is a way of organizing information that isn't just a straight line, like a book. Instead, it lets you connect different ideas and documents together. Think of it as a map where you can instantly travel between related places. This makes it easy to explore topics in a non-linear way.
How Hypertext Works
When you read hypertext, you'll see special words or phrases that are highlighted. These are the hyperlinks. If you click on a hyperlink, it takes you to a different part of the same document or to a completely new document. This allows you to follow your own path through the information. The HTML standard, used for most web pages, is a common way to create hypertext.
The History of Hypertext
The idea of hypertext has been around for a long time, even before computers were common. People imagined ways to link information together in a more flexible way.
Early Ideas: Vannevar Bush and the Memex
One of the first people to describe something like hypertext was an engineer named Vannevar Bush. In 1945, he wrote an important article called "As We May Think". In this article, he described a theoretical machine called the Memex. The Memex was a device that would let a person store all their books, records, and communications. It would also allow them to link different pieces of information together. This idea inspired many later inventors.
Building the First Systems
Years later, with the rise of computers, people started to build actual hypertext systems.
Douglas Engelbart's NLS
Douglas Engelbart was a computer scientist who created the NLS computer system. In 1968, he gave a famous presentation known as "The Mother of All Demos". This presentation showed many new computer ideas, including early forms of hypertext. His system allowed users to link documents and work together on them.
Ted Nelson and Project Xanadu
Another key figure was Ted Nelson. He coined the term "hypertext" in the 1960s. Nelson also started a very ambitious project called Project Xanadu. His goal was to create a global hypertext system where all documents would be linked. He wanted to make it easy to see where information came from and how it was connected. While Project Xanadu was very complex and took a long time to develop, Nelson's ideas greatly influenced how we think about linked information today.
The Hypertext Editing System
In the late 1960s, Brown University developed the Hypertext Editing System (HES). This was one of the first working hypertext systems. It allowed users to create and edit linked documents on a computer. These early systems paved the way for the modern internet.
Hypertext Today
Today, hypertext is everywhere. The most common example is the World Wide Web. Every time you click on a link on a website, you are using hypertext. It allows us to navigate vast amounts of information quickly and easily. Hypertext has changed how we learn, communicate, and find information.
See also
In Spanish: Hipertexto para niños
Images for kids
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Documents that are connected by hyperlinks.
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Engineer Vannevar Bush wrote "As We May Think" in 1945 in which he described the Memex, a theoretical proto-hypertext device which in turn helped inspire the subsequent invention of hypertext.
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Douglas Engelbart in 2009, at the 40th anniversary celebrations of "The Mother of All Demos" in San Francisco, a 90-minute 1968 presentation of the NLS computer system which was a combination of hardware and software that demonstrated many hypertext ideas.
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Ted Nelson gives a presentation on Project Xanadu, a theoretical hypertext model conceived in the 1960s whose first and incomplete implementation was first published in 1998.
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Hypertext Editing System (HES) IBM 2250 Display console – Brown University 1969
