XxxxxxxyxLinking
Extending the power of
the ‘simple’ web link
When it comes to linking in future web systems, people should look to the past, according to
Geoffrey Bilder’s presentation at the recent ALPSP conference in Old Windsor, UK
Much is made of the new ideas The simplification process rapid changes in wikis and blogs. will be negative and should be
in Web 2.0. But some of them of the web also limited the There is also sometimes the categorised differently.’
may not be as new as you might possibilities of the hyperlinks need for conditional links, ‘We have to start paying
think. At ALPSP’s international themselves. For example, ‘early which will only work on certain attention to links and anticipate
conference in September, hypertext systems never assumed dates or if you have been problems,’ concluded Bilder.
Geoffrey Bilder of CrossRef that links were unidirectional,’ authenticated, for example. ‘If you look at old hypertext
illustrated this with the story of said Bilder. ‘Today you can’t find Another issue is that there is systems you will find interesting
the ‘simple’ hyperlink. out who cites your page without no way to qualify how items are examples of how it was done in
‘The World Wide Web lots of work.’ This is another being linked to. ‘Links are votes the past.’
introduced the concept of the area that CrossRef has been and are very important,’ noted
link and it was very powerful,’ working in, adding an overlay Bilder. ‘However, some links Siân Harris
he said. However, there was a to alert people when they have
problem: early browsers and web been cited.
systems were very complicated. Today’s web links do not allow
Over time, in an effort to multiheaded and multitailed
simplify things for users, the links either. The former is
WWW concept and its browsers where something – such as a
have lost many of their early word or chemical formula –
functionality, he explained. might appear several times in
And now, that very a document but all link to the
functionality that was lost same definition as a single link.
in the efforts to simplify is The multitailed link is where
starting to be required again. one link leads to multiple places.
‘So many Web 2.0 and semantic An example of this might be
techniques are trying to put where a link would take you
back in what was initially both to an article in the IET
in early hypertext systems,’ digital library and to the same
observed Bilder. article on IEEE Xplore.
One example of this is link A similar concept is the
persistence. Early systems had version aware link, which Bilder
it but it was rejected because it believes is going to become
required some sort of centralised increasingly vital, particularly
system with huge maintenance with books. As new versions of
overheads that are not really books come out, links might be
necessary for much of the updated to point to the latest
information on the web. To cite version. But if you have cited
journal articles electronically, something in Version 4 of a
of course, link persistence is book then you don’t want the
very important and this is how link from the reference to take
CrossRef came about. ‘I say we readers to Version 6. And this
are like a post office box that potential problem increases
redirects mail,’ said Bilder. greatly when you factor in the
www.researchinformation.info Research Information December 2008/January 2009 15
RIdec08 pp14-15 ALPSP.indd 15 17/11/08 16:54:04
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