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Out of context: Reply #5
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- detritus0
I was just earlier chatting with a friend about hypertext - we wondered why it was still difficult for an average individual to create true hypertext documents. Sure, there is blogging software - but when you compare the base organisational functionality of the very first web 'browsers' (which were essentially two-way, with page editing facilities) to today's offerings, it would be seem we've strayed somewhere.
Current GUI web editors are far too complex and bloated for the average punter, and seem to focus on the design and interaction complexity, rather than informational hyperlinking. Blogging options are essentially linear and most CMS solutions are way beyond most people's grasp.
The closest approximations to the original ideals would be things like wikis - but these are still third-party entities, islands of organisation, necessarily locked-away from people's personal lists or notes, stored and accessed on their own terms.
Where is the middle road between the people's "external web" and "internal email"? Most people get access to web space when they sign up online - so why isn't basic web page editing functionality built in to browsers?
It seems that, despite all its developments, despite the huge social penetration it has and the benefits it so obviously brings - the development of web content is still mostly in the domain of 'The Other' - be that the webdesigner, programmer, external website, corporation, media organisation, or whatever.
It's late, I might be just babbling, but I have a point in there somwhere, I'm sure of it.