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BROWSE_SEQUENCE
March 18, 2004
Rev: July 23, 2004
I keep using the term
"browse sequence"
maybe I should explain
it:
All of the pages here are
chained together with
"next" and "prev" links,
so that you can start at
the top node, and step
through all of them. That I first encountered this
sequence is the "browse jargon in the days when I
sequence". was working on Microsoft
format help files, (circa
Windows 3.11).
Originally, the
"doomfiles" was The "browse sequence" MS help files were
one big text in MS help files was a "closed"
file, so you intended to let you hypertext format:
could just read read through each written by
it from bottom topic like turning professional
to top. There the pages of a book. authors, then
was a browse compiled and
sequence there, Click on the "next" shipped in a
whether I wanted button enough monolithic,
it or not. times, and you unalterable form.
could be sure you'd
HISTORY read through the Essentially all the links
entire help file. were internal links,
certainly none went out
over the internet... 'twas
When the not done in the early 90s.
doomfiles nodes Some attempt
were split up was made at
into individual coherent, "The doomfiles" is
webpages, I logical flow, also a closed hypertext.
decided to but it was There's no provision
preserve the never perfect. for readers to add
browse sequence comments. I don't
with "next" and Often punching the (often) provide
"prev" links. next button would hyperlinks jumping
be a random leap. to anywhere outside.
I still don't
know if this A problem I used to feel mildly
was a good I'm not guilty about this: in
idea. unfamiliar principle I thought the
with. web needs even more
In adding new interlinking, e.g.
material, the some way of easily
worst problem is following "back-links"
often the to make it eaiser for
question of readers to find
where it should commentary and
go in this corrections...
sequence.
But there's
Ripping apart this sequence so much
and re-arranging it has blogorhea
been one of the most out there
time-consuming and error now, I'm (A browser
prone parts of the whole happier command to
project... leaving the initiate the
doomfiles appropriate
There's often a reason closed. websearch would
I put one thing after be simple
another, but it isn't It's okay enough.)
always an obvious to be a
reason, and I'm quite destination.
capable of forgetting
what I was thinking (bog pit?
about months ago, let sargasso sea?)
alone years.
Hypertexts are by
definition not linear, and
it's hardly a suprise if
there's no simple way of
stringing these beads so
that nothing clashes.
I've conquered the browse sequence problem
(a) by learning to not worry about it much,
if I can't decide where something goes,
it follows the INBOX node, and I forget
about it for awhile.
(b) I keep a manually updated map,
the master browse sequence
(this might be made public someday).
Certainly the existing index
could use some improvement:
CONTENTS
(It should show more info:
A date, a topic description...)
A thought I've had before: use a different
link label to show a strong or weak connection
"NEXT" vs "next".
Where would that be encoded?
Abandon use of text files
In the master browse sequence? as the source file format?
Add more fields to the
original text file format?
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