Nisus InfoClick - Manual (Page 69)

Appendix III a short history of InfoClick
The GIA Search Technology
The foundations of the search technology in InfoClick were invented and patented by Jerzy Lewak,
Sławomir Grzechnik, and Jon Matousek and implemented by Nisus Software in 1992 as a feature in
a special version of Nisus Compact, a word processor for the first Apple laptops. Nisus Compact is
no longer available. The technology, however, has evolved since that time. It is now being used by
many shopping sites on the web and is sometimes referred to as Faceted Navigation or Faceted
Search, which however, in contrast to GIA (Guided Information Access), does not let you navigate
through text contents. The patent is currently owned by SpeedTrack Inc., and is used in InfoClick
under license from SpeedTrack. You can learn more about GIA at
SpeedTrack .
InfoClick guides you to the available information showing you which words can narrow your search,
in such a way that you can never receive the “no matches” result and can successfully narrow your
search results to the matches you are looking for. This Guided Information Access (GIA) works like
a GPS Navigator through your stored information—you are shown the way to your final destination.
In that sense it is not the usual search engine, but rather the Find Engine, making sure you find
your target, not just search and search and search, in frustration.
From Nisus Compact’s 1992 User’s Guide: File Clerk
The File Clerk Catalog
Nisus Compact, like all Macintosh programs, lets you save files using the standard Save dialog.
When you save a file in this manner, you do so to a particular folder on a particular disk. Later,
when you need the file, you can open it… if you remember its location.
Nisus Compact offers the File Clerk Catalog as a solution to this problem.
The Macintosh Hierarchical File System
In order to help you keep your files organized, the Macintosh lets you create “Folders.” These folders
are a computer metaphor for the usual filing cabinet folders. On a computer you can place many
folders inside other folders, and these, in turn, inside yet others and so on. Up to a point, this gives
you flexibility to organize yourself.
When you have a large number of different files, however, it can make your files difficult to find and
open.
The Problem
A very common problem occurs in all such hierarchical filing systems. To illustrate it, consider the
following example. Suppose you are a writer and have a document to file.
It happens to be a letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal and discusses economics and the
presidential election.
You have in the past written many articles on the economic situation and some on the presidential
election. You have also written many different letters to various publications, several to the Editor of
the Wall Street Journal, others were personal. You have also written many reports on similar topics.
To help organize yourself you created a folder for letters. Inside that, you have several more folders,
one for personal letters, one for business letters, and perhaps even one for letters to the editors of
various publications. Then you have also created another folder for reports and articles, inside
which you have several folders organized by topics: one for economic topics, one for political, and so
on.
The letter you now wish to file could be saved in the letters folder, inside the letters to the editor
folder. Of course it could also be filed in the reports and articles folder because it discusses the
economic situation. In fact, you remember that you have yet another folder which contains
documents relating to the presidential race, which is the principal topic of your letter as illustrated
in Figure 60. Because your document belongs in many different and widely separated folders, you
do not know where you should file it.