From: suthers+@pitt.edu (Daniel D Suthers)
Reply-To: suthers+@pitt.edu
Newsgroups: comp.text.sgml
Subject: Re: Web Notations
Date: 15 Jun 1995 14:14:19 GMT
Organization: LRDC, University of Pittsburgh
Message-ID: <3rpf7r$ru8@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>
References: <9506141830.AA45783@source.asset.com> <3rp5ql$jj4@news.cais.com>

If I understand him correctly, Claude is NOT asking whether HTTP can decide
what document type it got and know what to do do with it.  Sure it can do
that, but each document must be of one uniform type. He is asking whether it
can deal with MULTIPLE types (notations) within a SINGLE document.

Knowing that Hyper-G has a "cluster" concept whereby documents of different
types are clustered into a single document, I forwarded his query to the
Hyper-G list <hyper-g@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at>. Here is the reply (I made it clear
that this was Claude's prose, not mine, but they quote it as if it were mine):

-------------------- enclosure --------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 10:17:03 +0200
From: Gerald Mesaric <gmesaric@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at>
Message-Id: <199506150817.AA13846@pluto>
To: suthers+@pitt.edu, bullardc@source.asset.com
In-Reply-To: <199506150249.WAA01068@trench.lrdc.pitt.edu> (suthers+@pitt.edu)
Subject: Re: (fwd) Web Notations

>>>>> "suthers" == suthers  <suthers> writes:

suthers> A question for the Web experts: how does a Web document
suthers> indicate that it contains or references multiple notations?
suthers> I guess in other words, can HTTP indicate multiple types
suthers> within one document?  Further, if it can, how does it
suthers> indicate which version or flavor of the type is referenced or
suthers> contained?

No, HTTP is NOT able to reference more than ONE document at the
same time. The Hyper-G protocol can link to a "Cluster" of objects,
supporting the simultanious display of multiple multimedia
documents and als to provide multilinguality.

suthers> For example, one may need a document instance in which HTML
suthers> has been used for some parts of the text, another SGML
suthers> application was used to create queriable tables, VRML is used
suthers> to create alternative visualizations for data in the tables,
suthers> and PDF is used to create non-editable images of copywritten
suthers> material.  These are just examples of course.  Let us not
suthers> debate the suitability of each notation for the application,
suthers> please.

In Hyper-G you just have to put all documents that you want to
display at the same time, into one Cluster. A Cluster is a set
of documents. With special flags that you can add to the documents,
you are able to specify, what within the cluster should be displayed
simultaniously, what language-independant and what not.

suthers> In SGML, of course, we have notation declarations that
suthers> indicate the notation and version which can be used as a
suthers> registry for the servers required to support the document.
suthers> The DTD in effect, plays the role of the catalog for types
suthers> that must be supported and any foreign notations.
suthers> Presumably, in due course, a standardized layer will evolve
suthers> that should allow these notations to interoperate via a
suthers> shared protocol.  Is that protocol HTTP?

We -- at the Hyper-G protocol -- use the standard "sgmls" Parser
to parse HTF (a SGML compliant), therefore it would -- and will be --
possible to use any kind of SGML (and send the DTD over the network
with the document).

suthers> As this is an issue of some importance to the evolution of
suthers> the document database communications layer standardization
suthers> for hypermedia, I am curious how the Web achieves this and
suthers> what if any plans others have for supporting it.  I ask this
suthers> question on CTS because there is a fair chance that others
suthers> may be dealing with this.  For HTML or VRML only users, it
suthers> may not be an issue yet.

BTW, Hyper-G will support VRML in a couple of weeks (we are now in
BETA state) and HTML3 by the end of September.

You can access online information about Hyper-G at following URLs:

<http://www.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/Chyperg>
<hyperg://hyperg.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/hyperg>
<gopher://gopher.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/11hyperg>

Note, that these URLs all point to the same object in the Hyper-G
database, a WWW and a Gopher gateway convert all Hyper-G data
automatically at "run-time" into W3 (HTML) and Gopher formats.


P.S.: I will append our first "Hyper-G Status Report" to this mail.


Yours,

Gerald.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hyper-G Status Report Volume 1/95
=================================



0. Introduction



Hyper-G represents the first of a new generation of Internet
information systems -- it provides real hypermedia, supporting tools
for structuring, maintaining and serving heterogeneous multimedia data
including text, images, digital audio and video, PostScript and 3D
scenes.

Hyper-G guarantees automatic hyperlink consistency and supports
hyperlinks to and from multimedia documents, full text retrieval, a
UNIX-like security system with user management and user groups, and
client gateways to Gopher and World Wide Web (WWW) browsers such as
Netscape, Mosaic and Arena.

Hyper-G is fully compatible with current Internet technology and
includes seamless access to popular Internet server technologies such
as WWW and Gopher.

Hyper-G clients such as Harmony and Amadeus access Hyper-G servers
across the Internet, allowing users to view and manipulate information
in multiple ways. Their advanced navigational tools help users orient
themselves and avoid becoming "lost in hyperspace".



1. Hyper-G Server Technology



The Hyper-G server concept guarantees link consistency and provides
real hypermedia. This is only possible because links in Hyper-G are
not stored within documents, but in a separate hyperlink database
called the Database Server (DBServer). The data itself is also
contained in an object database called the Document Cache Server
(DCServer). The third part of the server concept is the full text
server, which is responsible for the full text index.


1.1. Database Server (DBServer)


o Hyperlink consistency

o Structuring of information (collections, clusters)

o Advanced search facilities

o Multilinguality

o UNIX-like security system with hierarchical user groups

o Hyperlinks in multimedia documents

o Accounting and billing concepts

o Distributed client-server concept


1.2. Document Cache Server (DCServer)


o Caching facilities

o Storing and handling of multimedia documents

o Gateway to WWW and Gopher for native HG clients (FTP planned)


1.3. Full Text Server (FTServer)


o Generation of full text indices

o Full text search facilities



2. Hyper-G Client Products



2.1. Amadeus (PC/MS-Windows 3.1x, 95 & NT)


Amadeus is the native 32 Bit Windows/NT/95 client for Hyper-G.
It provides full integration of Hyper-G's rich features and is able
to display nearly every common type of multimedia data. Amadeus
supports interactive authoring and point-and-click hyperlink
creation in multimedia documents such as images and PostScript files.

The features of Amadeus include:

o 32 bit application (native Windows NT/Windows 95 application, also runs
under Windows 3.1x using Win32s)
o Full Hyper-G functionality (including authoring capabilities).
o Multi-Protocol client, supports World-Wide-Web and Gopher
protocols. (Note: HTML 3.0 (for WWW), FTP and WAIS support planned for fall)
o Easy-to-use graphical user interface.
o Integrated RTF->HTF converter lets you import text generated by
   most popular word processors.
o Integrated viewers for Text (SGML), images, movies and PostScript.
o External 3D-Scene viewer (currently Windows NT only)
o Extensive online help.
o Comes complete with 35-page user manual.
o Is absolutely free software, may be copied and used without
   restrictions, even for commercial applications.
o Stand-alone PostScript Viewer included in package
o Demo (no edit functions) of local-database-Amadeus included (alpha-version)


2.2. Harmony (UNIX/X11)


Harmony is the Unix/X11 client for Hyper-G, the first "second
generation", publicly available, networked hypermedia information
system running over the Internet.

Harmony takes advantage of Hyper-G's rich information structuring
facilities to provide innovative two and three-dimensional
visualisations of the information space. It has extensive facilities
for interactive authoring and point-and-click hyperlink creation in
heterogeneous media, including 3D models and PostScript files. Harmony
is also multilingual: its user interface adjusts dynamically to the
language of first choice and documents available in multiple languages
are selected in order of language preference.

Harmony's specific feature set includes:

o Hierarchical browsing of Hyper-G collections.

o Attribute and content search with user-definable scope.

o Graphical local map of incoming *and* outgoing hyperlinks, as well
  as parent-child and other relationships.

o Location feedback through tightly coupled search, hyperlink,
  and collection browsing.  

o History browser with timeline of past interactive waypoints.

o 3D information landscape.

o File upload and save facilities.

o Interactive structuring, authoring, and annotation facilities.

o Interactive hyperlink editing between arbitrary document types.



3. Hyper-G, Gopher and WWW URLs



Additional online information about

        Hyper-G   <hyperg://hyperg.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/hyperg>
                  <http://www.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/Chyperg>
                  <gopher://gopher.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/11hyperg>

        Amadeus   <hyperg://hyperg.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/amadeus>
                  <http://www.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/Camadeus>
                  <gopher://gopher.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/11amadeus>

        Harmony   <hyperg://hyperg.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/harmony>
                  <http://www.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/Charmony>
                  <gopher://gopher.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/11harmony>



4. Software License



Hyper-G client software, including Amadeus and Harmony, is distributed
for free over the Internet. The Hyper-G server binaries are free for
non-commercial use. The source code will also be available. For
detailed information on source code licenses and commercial usage of
the Hyper-G server software, please contact Gerhard Pail
<mailto:gpail@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at> at the Institute for Information
Processing and Computer Supported New Media (IICM).



5. Administrivia



Editor: Gerald Mesaric

Proofreading: Vanessa Mayrhofer

Authors of this issue:

Keith Andrews, Thomas Dietinger, Gerald Pani, Joerg Faschingbauer,
Gerald Mesaric.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
IICM Institute for Information Processing and Computer Supported New Media
<hyperg://hyperg.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/>
<http://www.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/>
<gopher://gopher.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/>



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gerald Mesaric                                   gmesaric@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
Institute for Information Processing and Computer Supported New Media (IICM)
            Graz University of Technology - Austria/Europe/Earth
Voice: ++43/316/832551-11                               Fax: ++43/316/824394
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
     ______    __   __                                ______     ______ 
     \ \ \ \  |_ | | _|    _ _ __   ___ _ __         /  ____)   / / / / 
      \ \ \ \  | `-' | \  / | '_ \ / _ \ '__) ,---.  | | ___   / / / / 
      / / / /  | ,-. |\ \/ /| |_) |  __/ |    `---'  | |__/ |  \ \ \ \ 
     /_/_/_/  |__| |__|\  / | .__/ \___|_|           \______|   \_\_\_\
                       /_/  |_|                            

For information on Hyper-G look under ftp://iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/pub/Hyper-G !
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


-- 
================================================================
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suthers+@pitt.edu   	| University of Pittsburgh
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