PC-Hypertext: Limitations 1. - Weak graphics capabilities currently enable the MaxThink software to display only files generated in the PC-Paintbrush environment. Files acquired from other sources and translated into the .PCX format were not recognized by the PC-Hypertext program. An effective hypermedia system must be capable of managing a variety of media types, formats, sources, and storage devices. Attempts to establish standards for graphic processing have been problematical (a variety of formats are competing for acceptance in the marketplace), and low end systems have inadequate resolution and are not acceptable for image display and processing. Hardware demands for input, storage, and output are expensive (with a high possibility of rapid obsolescence as the technologies quickly evolve). However, cost effective strategies for implementing multimedia systems have been demonstrated. The PC-Hypertext system would have significantly greater utility for preservation applications if it had the graphics capabilities to display frame grabbed and scanned image files in .TIFF, .PCX, and .TGA formats. - In graphics based systems, command selection using a pointing device (mouse, track ball) can facilitate program operation. If the MaxThink system acquires more sophisticated graphics capabilities, a user interface that accommodates pointing devices will be essential. A graphical interface that employs icons to represent command selections can facilitate program operation for visually oriented users (architects, landscape architects), provided the icons accurately represent the information nodes and paths contained in the system. The danger implicit in the graphical interface is that the system becomes a celebration of graphics screens and image displays, and neglects the more substantial issues of information hierarchy and taxonomy. PC-Hypertext: Introduction PC-Hypertext: Description PC-Hypertext: Limitations 2. PC-Hypertext: Summary PC-Hypertext Limitations Summary