NoteCards
Encyclopedia
NoteCards was a hypertext
personal knowledge base
system developed at Xerox PARC
by Randall Trigg, Frank Halasz and Thomas Moran in 1984. NoteCards developed after Trigg became the first to write a Ph.D.
thesis on hypertext while at the University of Maryland College Park
in 1983. NoteCards is one of the best known hypertext projects in the research world due to its design being well documented.
NoteCards is built on the model of there being four basic kinds of objects: notecards, links
, browser card, and a filebox. Each window is an analog of a cue card; window sizes may vary, but contents cannot scroll. As such, the windowing model is not fully supported. Local and global maps are available through browsers. There are over 40 different nodes which support various media.
NoteCards was implemented in LISP
on Xerox
D-machine workstations, which used large, high-resolution displays
. The NoteCards interface is event-driven. One interesting feature of NoteCards is that authors may use LISP
commands to customize or create entirely new node types. The powerful programming language allows almost complete customization of the entire NoteCards work environment.
Notecards has been referred to as a "second generation" hypertext
system.
software vendor Venue, and is compiled for Solaris 2.5 and 7 (untested on later versions ) and Linux
x86 with the X Window System
. It is unknown how close this version is to earlier versions of NoteCards as there is little information about the product.
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
personal knowledge base
Personal knowledge base
A personal knowledge base is an electronic tool used to express, capture, and later retrieve the personal knowledgeof an individual. It differs from a traditionaldatabase in that it contains subjective material particular to the owner,...
system developed at Xerox PARC
Xerox PARC
PARC , formerly Xerox PARC, is a research and co-development company in Palo Alto, California, with a distinguished reputation for its contributions to information technology and hardware systems....
by Randall Trigg, Frank Halasz and Thomas Moran in 1984. NoteCards developed after Trigg became the first to write a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
thesis on hypertext while at the University of Maryland College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
in 1983. NoteCards is one of the best known hypertext projects in the research world due to its design being well documented.
NoteCards is built on the model of there being four basic kinds of objects: notecards, links
Hyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
, browser card, and a filebox. Each window is an analog of a cue card; window sizes may vary, but contents cannot scroll. As such, the windowing model is not fully supported. Local and global maps are available through browsers. There are over 40 different nodes which support various media.
NoteCards was implemented in LISP
Lisp programming language
Lisp is a family of computer programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized syntax. Originally specified in 1958, Lisp is the second-oldest high-level programming language in widespread use today; only Fortran is older...
on Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
D-machine workstations, which used large, high-resolution displays
Computer display
A monitor or display is an electronic visual display for computers. The monitor comprises the display device, circuitry, and an enclosure...
. The NoteCards interface is event-driven. One interesting feature of NoteCards is that authors may use LISP
Lisp programming language
Lisp is a family of computer programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized syntax. Originally specified in 1958, Lisp is the second-oldest high-level programming language in widespread use today; only Fortran is older...
commands to customize or create entirely new node types. The powerful programming language allows almost complete customization of the entire NoteCards work environment.
Notecards has been referred to as a "second generation" hypertext
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
system.
Availability
NoteCards is available commercially from the Common LispCommon Lisp
Common Lisp, commonly abbreviated CL, is a dialect of the Lisp programming language, published in ANSI standard document ANSI INCITS 226-1994 , . From the ANSI Common Lisp standard the Common Lisp HyperSpec has been derived for use with web browsers...
software vendor Venue, and is compiled for Solaris 2.5 and 7 (untested on later versions ) and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
x86 with the X Window System
X Window System
The X window system is a computer software system and network protocol that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces and rich input device capability for networked computers...
. It is unknown how close this version is to earlier versions of NoteCards as there is little information about the product.