How the hyperlink changed everything | Small Thing Big Idea, a TED series

Translator: Camille Martínez Reviewer: Krystian Aparta

譯者: Chen Chi-An 審譯者: Marssi Draw

I remember thinking to myself,

我記得當時心想，

"This is going to change everything about how we communicate."

「這將完全改變我們溝通的方式。」

[Small thing.]

〔小事情〕

[Big idea.]

〔大點子〕

[Margaret Gould Stewart on the Hyperlink]

〔瑪格麗特．古爾德．斯圖爾特 談超連結〕

A hyperlink is an interface element,

超連結是軟體界面上的元件，

and what I mean by that is,

我想說的是，

when you're using software on your phone or your computer,

當你使用手機或電腦的軟體時，

there's a lot of code behind the interface

界面背後有很多程式碼，

that's giving all the instructions for the computer on how to manage it,

它給電腦指令來運作。

but that interface is the thing that humans interact with:

界面也是人和機器互動的媒介，

when we press on this, then something happens.

當我們點一下，就會啟動某個東西。

When they first came around, they were pretty simple

它剛問世時看起來很陽春，

and not particularly glamorous.

沒有什麼魅力；

Designers today have a huge range of options.

如今，設計者有了很多選項。

The hyperlink uses what's called a markup language -- HTML.

超連結使用一種稱為 HTML 的標記語言。

There's a little string of code.

這是一小串程式碼，

And then you put the address of where you want to send the person.

你在這輸入想分享給別人的網址。

It's actually remarkably easy to learn how to do.

學會怎麼做就是這麼簡單。

And so, the whole range of references to information elsewhere on the internet

所有網路上提供站外資訊的參考資料

都屬於超連結的一部分。

is the domain of the hyperlink.

Back when I was in school --

當我還在學校時──

this is before people had wide access to the internet --

這是人們還不能 廣泛使用網路的時代──

if I was going to do a research paper,

如果我想查詢一篇論文，

I would have to physically walk to the library,

我必須親自去圖書館，

and if they had the book that you needed, great.

如果有你要的書，很好。

You sometimes had to send out for it,

有時你必須先通知，

so the process could take weeks.

而這流程可能耗費數週。

And it's kind of crazy to think about that now,

現在回想，當時的情況 讓人難以置信。

because, like all great innovations,

就像所有偉大的創新，

it's not long after we get access to something

我們開始使用不久，

that we start to take it for granted.

就將創新視為理所當然。

Back in 1945,

1945 年，

there was this guy, Vannevar Bush.

這個人，凡內瓦．布什，

He was working for the US government,

他為美國政府工作。

and one of the ideas that he put forth was,

他提出一個想法：

"Wow, humans are creating so much information,

「哇，人類製造這麼多資訊，

and we can't keep track of all the books that we've read

而我們卻沒辦法記錄讀過的書

or the connections between important ideas."

或重要想法間的連結。」

And he had this idea called the "memex,"

這想法他稱為「記憶擴展」，

where you could put together a personal library

你能將有權限閱讀的書和文章 放進個人圖書館中整合。

of all of the books and articles that you have access to.

And that idea of connecting sources captured people's imaginations.

這種資源互相連結的概念 激發人們的想像。

Later, in the 1960s,

接著，在 60 年代，

Ted Nelson launches Project Xanadu,

泰德．尼爾森推出仙那度計畫，

and he said,

他說：

"Well, what if it wasn't just limited to the things that I have?

「如果不限制在個人的東西呢？

如果我能連結 大量工作中的想法會如何？」

What if I could connect ideas across a larger body of work?"

In 1982, researchers at the University of Maryland

1982 年，馬里蘭大學的學者

developed a system they called HyperTIES.

開發稱為 HyperTIES 的 超媒體系統。

They were the first to use text itself as a link marker.

他們是第一批將文字本身

當成連結標記的。

They figured out that this blue link on a gray background

他們發現，藍色連結配灰色背景 作為對比的效果很好，

was going to work really well in terms of contrast,

and people would be able to see it.

人們可以清楚看見。

Apple invented HyperCard in 1987.

蘋果電腦在 1987 年發明 超媒體系統 HyperCard。

You had these stacks of cards,

這是一堆卡片，

and you could create links in between the cards.

你可以在卡片間創建連結。

HyperCard actually created the ability to jump around in a story.

HyperCard 讓人可以 在一則故事裡跳來跳去。

These kinds of notions of nonlinear storytelling

這類非線性敘事的概念

got a huge boost when the hyperlink came along,

在超連結問世後有爆發性的應用，

because it gave people the opportunity to influence the narrative.

因為它給人影響敘事的機會。

These ideas and inventions, among others,

剛剛提到的想法和發明，

inspired Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.

啟發提姆．柏納－李， 發明全球資訊網路的人。

The hyperlink almost feels like a LEGO block,

超連結就像樂高積木，

this very basic building block to a very complex web of connections

從最基礎的元件到 存在各地的複雜連結網。

that exists all around the world.

Because of the way that hyperlinks were first constructed,

由於一開始設立超連結的方式

they were intended to be not only used by many people,

不只是為了讓許多人使用，

but created by many people.

也為了讓許多人創造，

To me, it's one of the most democratic designs ever created.

因此我認為，超連結是史上 數一數二民主的設計了。