VORTEXT: VictORias TEXT reading and authoring system

Summary

ABSTRACT

As the cost of paper and library space increases, so does the necessity for alternative forms of book storage. Computers seem the obvious answer and already much work has been done into various on-line text reading and writing systems. These systems are very effective within their own domains, yet remain essentially for computer users, rather than the ordinary man-in-the-street.

Real paper books may not actually be the best way of presenting information, but they are certainly the most familiar. It seems logical therefore to design a reading system that can be made more widely accessible because it resembles a real book as much as possible both in appearance and use – a sort of generic advance organiser [Ausubel60].

The system described here – VORTEXT – is an attempt to do precisely that.

How people read books

Books are rarely read completely linearly; mystery novels almost are, but how many people let their curiosity get the better of them and sneak a look at the last page to see who dunnit?. A text book is more likely to be dipped-into looking for a particular section, and a journal article tends to be read in full only if the reader considers it useful and relevant after having read the title, then the abstract, conclusion and finally the references [Maude85, Line82].

“The printed article is well-adapted to speedy rejection an inestimable virtue”[Line82]