Linear vs. Hypermedia
Linear media are traditional forms of media that have a distinct beginning and end and are connected in sequential fashion, for example, a movie on VHS. Even though various parts of the media can be accessed at any point along the way by fast-forwarding the information is placed sequentially on the tape. Hypermedia is a collection of related items that are linked to each other. The user get to choose what items to see and what order things are used. The site contained on this DVD is a good example. There are several hundred images and pages you can access in any order just by selecting the menus to the left.
This point is increasingly important if you design pages. More web savvy users will expect the content you deliver to be more interactive, easily accessible, and non-linear. Additionally, they expect not only the content to be updated frequently but also the interface. This is where style sheets are very effective. Because the formatting instructions are linked dynamically as hypermedia. They can be changed often without effecting the basic content.
