TRACI (TRACeable Ideas)

TRACi is a thesis project with a primary objective of developing a Hypertext system. During the research period, the proponents conducted research to uncover problems and shortcomings of existing paper documentation and computer applications. The research involved data gathering from printed sources to learn more about Hypertext. Informal interviews with potential users were also conducted to thresh out problems in current documentation systems. The design process involved studying an existing system, the Borland Languages Help Compiler. This system was found to have a limited application and proved somewhat complex. The design was therefore directed towards a simpler authoring system based on a mouse interface. It was also discovered that a system with two units was needed. These two units were an authoring unit and a browsing unit --- a creator and a presentor. The TRACi software was then developed using the prototyping software development technique. In this case, many versions of the software were produced, tested and debugged. Throughout this development phase, the system was occasionally turned over to potential users to evaluate. The user\u27s inputs were then taken to improve the system\u27s outward simplicity. Eventually, more functions to aid the user, and multi-media applications for greater flexibility were included into the system. The end result being a simplified system for developing Hypertext documents