PC-Hypertext Hardware and Software:

The software system selected for this hypertext case study
consisted of a family of three separate programs (MaxThink,
HOUDINI, and HyperLink).  This programming family permits an
application developer to quickly design and construct a hypertext
system with information storage and retrieval capabilities
uniquely appropriate to the application requirements.  These "off
the shelf" software packages were developed by MaxThink, Inc.
(Kensington, CA).  An authored application can be compiled in
PC-Hypertext using the HyperLink utilities, allowing the
application to operate on a microcomputer running under the
"MS-DOS" system with a minimum of 256K RAM and one 360K disk
drive (depending on the size of the application), without a
resident version of the MaxThink or HOUDINI software. 
Constructive modification of the information base (ASCII files)
can be achieved by linking a word-processing program (text
editor) to the authored application.  By implementing the editor,
a system user can update or annotate existing nodes, create new
nodes, and create new nodal links.   However, where the
inviolability of information content and structure is at issue,
the system developer can restrict access to the editing
capabilities in the compiled PC-Hypertext program, making access
to the development programs (MaxThink, Houdini) necessary to
affect data content or structural changes within the information
base.

<dfile69>   PC-Hypertext: Introduction