Nicom IT Solutions
  • Services
        • Managed & Technical Support Services
          • Information Technology Assessments
          • Network Architecture/Design, Configuration & Installation/Management
          • Active Security, Monitoring & Preventative Maintenance Programs
          • End User Workstation & Subscription Management
          • Back-Up & Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery
          • Advanced Mailbox Protection & Training Services
          • Advanced Telephony Services & Handset Management
          • 24/7 Multi-Tier Helpdesk
          • Software Licencing Management
        • Cloud Solutions
          • Advanced Office 365 Licencing & Services
          • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
          • Hardware as a Service (HaaS)
          • Software as a Service (SaaS)
          • Web as a Service (WaaS)
          • Cloud/Application Subscription Management
          • Cloud Migration Service & Support
        • IT Consulting
        • Web & Mobile Business Application Development
          • Discovery & Consulting
          • UX & UI Design
          • Mobile Application Development
          • Web Application Development
          • Enterprise Solutions Services
          • Backend Development
          • Blockchain Development
          • Artificial Intelligence Software Development
        • Website Design & Development
        • Seaport Information Management Systems
  • IT Careers
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Menu Menu

The Lowly Hyperlink

Did you ever think about online links, and how dependent we are on them? We don’t really think about it much, but we all link dozens or maybe even hundreds of times a day. (In fact, you just clicked on a link to get to this article.)

We call them links, but the correct term is hyperlink. I recently landed on a CBSNews article from 2002 where British Telecommunications PLC wanted to enforce their 1976 patent on hyperlinks and was suing a U.S. internet service provider named Prodigy Communications Corp. The article doesn’t say how much money was at stake, but states that BT wanted to get paid every time someone clicked on a link. I’m pretty sure BT lost that one because we all click numerous times a day without any fees.

All this made me go back and check on the history of hyperlinks. Apparently the concept goes way back to 1945 and was originally conceived as a way to link one piece of microfilm to another, so you could have a thread of related microfilm information that you could follow.

I don’t know that the microfilm linking but was ever developed, but I do remember seeing a demonstration of HyperCard, a database system for Apple Macintosh computers whereby you could click on a link to go from one piece of data to another. At the time—late 1980s—I didn’t see the real value of it, but when the World Wide Web came about in the early 1990s, their usefulness became quite apparent.

So we click here, click there, as something very natural. Someday we’ll look back at how revolutionary that little linking thing was.

Return to the Blog

We are a full-service IT professional services firm that prides itself in the long-term relationships that we have developed with our clients and partners.

Get in Touch With Us!

We’d love to hear from you

Toll Free: 1-877-454-4499
Email: info@nicomit.com

201 Whitehall Dr.
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9Y3

Suite 2030, 6960 Mumford Rd.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3L 4P1

Blog

  • Nicom-Built Data Dashboards now Online at Port of Halifax July 25, 2017
  • Nicom Secures Texas Seaport Contract October 27, 2016
  • The Houston Astrolite – a Marvel of Early Technology September 13, 2016

IT Professional Placement Services

We are a leading Canadian IT staffing agency and recruiting firm, providing clients with the best people for critical projects and initiatives. We customize to fit the unique needs of your growing company.

Let us help you engage the next-level tech talent you’re looking for.

  • Contact
  • About Nicom
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
© Copyright - Nicom IT Solutions Inc.
  • Website by Nicom Interactive
Scroll to top