% ------------------------
% expres.htx

% A sample HtX source file for generating slide shows
% by members of Oberlin DRAGN Project 1994-1997.

% HtX v. 1.0b1  (c) 1995-7, Richard M. Salter
% Please read copyright and distribution agreement
% ------------------------
% This is a sample slide show.  The ``notes'' version is contained in
% expresn.htx

\documentstyle{pres}
\me{rms@cs.oberlin.edu}

\title{A High-level Production Tool for the Web}

\begin{document}

\begin{presentation}
	{htxlogo.gif}{A High-level Production Tool for the Web}
	{R. Salter, F. Ruehr, R Price Jones, C. Haynes / July 1996}
        {HtX: A High-level Production Tool\break for the World-Wide Web}

\begin{slide}{Notes}

\slideitem{HtX Home Page}
   To return to the HtX Home Page click
   \xlink{../../Default.html\#expres}{here}

\slideitem{HtX source}
   To see the HtX source for this document click
   \xlink{expres.htx}{here}.

\slideitem{Use this as a template}
   To make your own slideshow, edit this file.

\slideitem{This slideshow can be turned into notes}
   Change \verb/\documentstyle{pres}/ to \verb/\documentstyle{prnotes}/ 
   and re-translate.  See expresn.htx.

\slideitem{This talk gives an overview of HtX} 
   including history and personnel details and some links to other sites
   that have been prepared using HtX.

\slideitem{This talk was given at the summer 1996 meeting of LACSC}
   the Liberal Arts Computer Science Consortium, meeting at Dartmouth
   College, by Rhys Price Jones.

\end{slide}


\begin{slide}{Introduction}

\slideitem{a production tool for the Web from Oberlin CS}
   facilitates the development and maintenance of large, complex HTML
    documents, allowing for flexibility in the face of change.

\slideitem{developed to support work on an NSF EI grant}
   grant awarded to Profs. Rhys Price Jones and Rich Salter;\break
    Fritz Ruehr hired as Visiting Assistant Professor under the grant

\slideitem{responding to curricular changes in Computer Science}
   Recent curricular recommendations and our own external review suggested
    that we exploit laboratory settings, in the manner of traditional
    sciences

\slideitem{using the World-Wide Web as a laboratory vehicle}
   Given the explosive popularity of the Web, it seemed a natural way to
    present structured laboratory manuals

\slideitem{required powerful tools to streamline production}
   We originally planned to use existing tools to develop materials, 
    but they were neither robust nor flexible enough for our needs;\break
    we decided to implement a tool ourselves, using the same principles of
    design we teach.

\end{slide}

\begin{slide}{Background and Setting}

\slideitem{HtX was developed and used during a period of three terms}
   All faculty members shared in the design and testing;\break
    Rich Salter wrote the actual implementation.

\slideitem{field experience was ``fed back'' into the design process}
   We produced weekly laboratory manuals with HtX, adding features as
    needed, but always with greater generality in mind.

\slideitem{testing included production of large amounts of HTML}
   A typical weekly lab manual comprises 30-45 pages, including exposition,
    graphics, exercises, question/answers (with hints), glossaries and
    examples.

\slideitem{used to bring student research assistants ``on board''}
   After the first term, student assistants (including course alumni)
    were using HtX to author lab materials;\break
    typical training period was only 1-2 days.

\end{slide}

\begin{slide}{A Better Way to Produce Documents}

\slideitem{the problem with ``raw'' HTML}
   In HTML, everything must be expressed in a low-level ontology
    concerned with concrete display issues (font sizes, file links, etc.).

\slideitem{a high-level language, oriented toward the user}
   With HtX, users can develop their own conceptual design, in terms that
    are appropriate to their application.

\slideitem{design style and content are separated}
   In HtX, a conceptual design is realized as a {\bf document style};\break
    styles may be modified separately from the content(s) to which they
    are applied.

% ------- \hotlink{\icondir strucmap.GIF}
    

\slideitem{inter-linked HTML files are generated automatically}
   From simple specifications of style and content, large amounts of
    complexly-structured, ``raw'' HTML are generated in seconds.\break

%   \vspace{1}\image{flow3.GIF}

\slideitem{markup language and ideas based on LaTEX}
   The command syntax and certain abstraction principles of HtX are borrowed
    from LaTEX, a widely-used standard for math and science publishing.

\end{slide}

\begin{slide}{Some Sample Applications}

\slideitem{sophomore Computer Science laboratories}
   Guided question/answer (with hints);\break
    Hyper-linked glossaries

    \hotlink{http://www.cs.oberlin.edu/classes/dragn/labs/heaps/heaps.html}
    

\slideitem{interactive lecture slideshow presentations}
   Progressive development of points;\break
    automatic linking of slides;\break
    matching handouts can be generated easily;

    \hotlink{http://www.cs.oberlin.edu/faculty/rms/classes/cs115/lect30.html}
      {\bf \ (slideshow)}
    \hotlink{http://www.cs.oberlin.edu/classes/cs115/lect30n.html}
      {\bf \ (lecture notes)}
    

\slideitem{on-line course information}
   Syllabus information;\break
    Homework assignments;\break
    Study guides;

    \hotlink{http://www.cs.oberlin.edu/classes/cs115/}
      {\bf \ (course homepage)}
    

\slideitem{a ``before-and-after'' makeover}
   This sample provided by the
	{\bf Multi-campus Modular Non-major Curriculum in Computing}
    at Indiana University;

    \hotlink{http://klingon.cs.iupui.edu/~aharris/sdi/stair.html}
      {\bf \ (before)}

    \hotlink{http://klingon.cs.iupui.edu/~aharris/mmcc/mod1/stair.html}
      {\bf \ (after)}
    

\slideitem{general features available in all applications}
   Hierarchical text structure;\break
    automatic linking and structure ``maps'';\break
    standard document elements (author, title, etc.);

\slideitem{potential future uses}
   Home page structures for organizations;
    database applications, etc.

\end{slide}

\begin{slide}{Technical Aspects}

\slideitem{input is structured as simple text file(s)}
   High-level commands may be defined at will;\break
    multiple files may be consulted for flexibility.

\slideitem{style files determine how content will be presented}
   Multiple style files can be used to re-generate the same contents
    in many different {\it (structural)\/ } forms.

\slideitem{a translator generates HTML files automatically}
   HtX is a small, fast program which runs on MS-DOS/Windows machines and
    Unix (a Macintosh version is forthcoming).

\slideitem{resulting HTML files can be viewed with any Web browser}
   The translator produces standard text files, using traditional HTML
    markup language; no extra tools or programs are needed

\end{slide}

\begin{slide}{Advantages of the HtX Approach}

\slideitem{a high-level, user-centered language}
   It is much easier to write in terms appropriate to the
    application than in the detailed, low-level language of raw HTML.

\slideitem{no loss versus traditional HTML}
   The translated HTML files are always available for further use or
    modification, independent of any commitment to the HtX tool.

\slideitem{provides flexibility in making wholesale design changes}
   Although forethought and planning are required to design
    appropriate document styles, the time spent is repaid many-fold.

%%  \it{\[not just textual style, but structural aspects
%%    (e.g., links, files, etc.)\]}

\slideitem{robust versus technological changes}
   The system does not {\it require\/ } HTML as its output language;\break
    we can easily accommodate new HTML features or even completely different
    languages.

\slideitem{based on proven principles}
   Crafted around important CS design principles (e.g., abstraction);\break
    based on a widely-used and well-tested standard (LaTEX).

\end{slide}

\begin{slide}{Conclusions: a Call for Collaboration}

\slideitem{possibilities for distance learning}
   The Web provides a vehicle for world-wide access;\break
    only simple text files need be exchanged between collaborators.

\slideitem{the view from the crow's nest}
   Our view on Computer Science provides us with unique insights into future
    technologies, along with opportunities to develop applications.

\slideitem{a beta release is being planned}
   Just as we benefitted from feedback from our own experiences, we now need
    others to show us what needs and ideas will arise in a broader context.

\end{slide}

\end{presentation}

\end{document}