# Hypermedia Systems

- Page: https://shared.btbytes.com/p/hypermedia-systems
- Date: 2023-07-24

Notes on [Hypermedia Systems](https://hypermedia.systems/introduction/)

>  web applications are not islands. We’re writing HTML not just for a particular application, but also to play along with other members of the web. When we write with the hypermedia _system_ in mind, we’re better able to tap the range of abilities available to the web.
>  good HTML lets browsers do a _lot_ of work for us.

HTTP and HTML are (as the names suggest), are *Hypermedia systems*.

> Hypertexts: new forms of writing, appearing on computer screens, that will branch or perform at the reader’s command. A hypertext is a non-sequential piece of writing; only the computer display makes it practical. — Ted Nelson, https://archive.org/details/SelectedPapers1977/page/n7/mode/2up

The prefix “hyper-” derives from the Greek prefix “ὑπερ-” which means “beyond” or “over”, indicating that hypermedia _goes beyond_ normal, passively consumed media like magazines and newspapers.

Hyperlinks are a canonical example of what is called a hypermedia control:

Hypermedia Control

> A hypermedia control is an element in a hypermedia that describes (or controls) some sort of interaction, often with a remote server, by encoding information about that interaction directly and completely within itself.

 Hypertext is a sub-category of hypermedia

> Hypertexts like HTML function alongside other technologies crucial for making an entire hypermedia system work: network protocols like HTTP, other media types such as images and videos, hypermedia servers (i.e., servers providing hypermedia APIs), sophisticated hypermedia clients (e.g., web browsers), and so on.

[As we may think](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1945/07/as-we-may-think/303881/) by Vannevar Bush