A comparison of algorithms for hypertext notes network linearization

✍ Scribed by Mike Sharples; James Goodlet; Andrew Clutterbuck

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 851 KB
• Volume: 40
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1071-5819
• DOI: 10.1006/ijhc.1994.1033

✦ Synopsis

New computer-based writing environments are being developed which combine a hypertext "ideas organizer" with a text editor. We compare two algorithms which could be used in such environments for turning networks of notes indicating ideas into linear draft documents. The algorithms are designed to produce a linear ordering of the notes which is acceptable to the writer as a first draft of the document. We report on experiments to test their effectiveness. Subjects were asked to create notes networks which were then linearized by the two algorithms. The resulting linearizations, plus a random ordering of nodes and a linearization created by hand, were assessed for textual organization. The experiments indicate that both algorithms produce linearizations which are acceptable as draft texts, that the "best first" algorithm is marginally superior to the "hiliclimbing" one, and that providing information to the algorithms about link types had little effect on their effectiveness. The paper concludes by describing an implementation of the best first algorithm as part of the Writer's Assistant writing environment.