The Web’s Competitors
Viola screenshot
A one-man effort by U.C. Berkeley Computer Science student Pei Wei, Viola was a powerful programming environment and hypertext system. It was based on applets similar to the later Java. Wei subsequently adapted Viola to the Web.
The Web’s Competitors
The Internet connected millions by 1990. But partly because of non-commercial roots, it lacked user-friendly information systems.
That unmet need inspired global efforts to create such systems, ranging from commercial ventures like WAIS to one-man projects like Viola. Several used clickable hypertext links -- including one small experiment ambitiously called the “WorldWideWeb.”
Hyperwave mug
Hyper-g (and successor HyperWave) was a commercial hypertext system compatible with the Web, but which offered richer features including two-way links, security, search and 3D visualization. It’s fuller structure required more pre-planning, limiting its viral spread.
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