Extending the microcosm model to a distributed environment

Abstract

In recent years, there has been significant growth in the use of computer networks to support electronic delivery of information. As the volume of available information has grown, a need for powerful tools that can manage access has arisen. It has been suggested that hypertext techniques can provide such a facility. The Microcosm system is a hypertext link service developed at the University of Southampton. The system is based upon a modular architecture which allows the functionality of the system to be easily and dynamically extended. This paper describes the development of a distributed version of Microcosm based upon this modular design. The distributed system described utilises the fine granularity of the Microcosm model to support a wide range of wide possible configurations. The system also extends the document management facilities of Microcosm to allow information stored by other information services to be incorporated. The result is a system that can apply Microcosm's open linking services to a wide range of networked information.