Re: [unrev-II] A 'time enabled' hypertext system...

From: Eric Armstrong (eric.armstrong@eng.sun.com)
Date: Tue Jan 25 2000 - 00:31:15 PST


From: "Eric Armstrong" <eric.armstrong@eng.sun.com>

Continual, ongoing version is a very important part of a DKR system.
I would like to see versioning hierarchies, in fact -- every time a node
is updated, a new version is created, and parents informed.

More later, when I finally get to the DKR requirements message.
(I had to earn a living sometime today.)
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Jon Winters
  To: 'unrev-II@onelist.com'
  Cc: hardware@obscurasite.com
  Sent: Monday, January 24, 2000 9:48 PM
  Subject: [unrev-II] A 'time enabled' hypertext system...

  From: Jon Winters <winters@obscurasite.com>

  Hello all,

  I have an idea for your consideration. After viewing session 3 I got to
  thinking about Nanotech and how it might be used by bootstrappers in the
  future.

  One of the promises of Nanotechnology is seemingly unlimited digital
  storage.

  Checkit:
  http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Groups/Nanotechnology/publications/1997/applications/

  With this in mind we might want to consider moving to a "write once"
  system of data storage. Every time you save a document a new
  time-stamped copy is saved. Time is used to organize the life of the
  document. Like us, the document evolves over time.

  Today, when you edit sound, video, animation, or other forms of
  multimedia you must use time to organize how the file is played. This
  is also an excellent way to organize hypertext documents given enough
  storage to archive everything.

  I've prepared a mock-up screengrab of what a "time enabled" web browser
  might look like.

  http://obscura.obscurasite.com/unrev/images/time-enabled-browser.jpg

  Its loaded with the notes I took tonight during session 3. NOTE: at the
  bottom of the image there is an extra slider and the time/date stamp.

  In a time enabled system you could use the slider to traverse backwards
  in time to view my notes as they were after session 2, or even session
  1. Years in the future I could go back in time and find out exactly
  when I converted the notes from text to html. (or added links, or
  graphics, etc)

  Version control is not new. The difference is the interface. Its
  something that we understand... We are trained from the time we are
  children to use time. Seems like a perfect fit for organizing versions
  of documents. (easier to grasp than cryptic version numbers)

  Today we are in a hurry to post all kinds of information on the web.
  Often when surfing it seems like just as many documents are moving or
  disappearing.

  Imagine if everyone had unlimited storage and you could visit a web
  site, then the same site a year ago, ten years ago, twenty years ago.
  Much of that data is lost today. I hope to see it archived in the
  future.

  My training is in photography and it is sad to see color photographs
  taken of my family fading away to nothing. When my grandmother passed
  away we were amazed to find beautiful black and white photos from the
  late 1800s. The photographic record of her generation is much better
  than mine.

  The same thing is happening on the web. Its a great medium with so much
  promise. Unfortunately it is in a constant state of change and few are
  worried about preserving an archive for future generations. (how many of
  you saved the first web page you ever made, just the way it was the day
  you made it?)

  Please post your thoughts, ideas, flames, comments on this topic.

  Have a nice day. :-)
  --
  Jon Winters
  visit the Obscura Lounge in OpenVerse
  http://www.openverse.org/

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