Re: forwarded... [Explicit Linking is Impossible]

Marc Andreessen (marca@ncsa.uiuc.edu)
Wed, 5 May 93 19:47:47 -0500


Tony Sanders writes:
> > Thanks, Marc and NCSA, for X Mosaic. Is there an NCSA HTML editor
> > too? Today I have GNU Emacs. I would like two Mosaic windows, and to
> tkWWW has editing functions (you can add links on the fly) but it needs
> work before it's "production" quality. The problem is that HTTP2 isn't
> in place yet so you can't send the changes back to the server anyway.

Just a note: transparent addition of hyperlinks is one of my top
priorities for Mosaic this summer (they will initially be handled the
same way as personal annotations are now, and then extended along with
personal annotations into group/community/world sharing and
collaboration). I'm planning on using the same user interface
Intermedia uses/used, btw (select the text of the hyperlink in one
window/document, choose "Start Link" from the menubar, select the text
for the target of the hyperlink in another window/document, choose
"Complete Link" from the menubar). Anyone have better ideas?
(Something drag'n'drop might be nice...)

Also, I don't yet have a plan in place for tracking positions in
documents for this -- initially I'll probably use a combination of
character position plus context, so Mosaic will at least be able to
tell you when a hyperlink you made previously has become invalid due
to the text changing (it will then append it to the file, just like
annotations are now) -- unless a better idea comes along. Suggestions
welcome...

> An ex-IBMer also (moved 4 times in three years) ;-)

Yow! Still own stock??

Marc