What is a graphical browser?
In the context of pre-WWW hypertext systems, a graphical browser is an application that uses computer graphics to "provide higher-level views of [the] nodes and links" (Conklin) of a hypertext network.
What problem, identified by Conklin, are graphical browsers supposed to address?
Graphical browsers are supposed to address the problem of disorientation - "the problem of knowing (a) where you are in the network and (b) how to get to some other place that you know (or think) exists in the network.
According to Conklin, graphical browsers allow users to "orient themselves by visual cues, just as when they are walking or driving through a familiar city." These visual cues are provided by graphical representations of the nodes and links of the hypertext system that allow people to orient themselves spatially.
For which hypertext models are they successful? Why?
According to Conklin, graphical browsers work best with hypertext systems which have a reasonable number of nodes and links, are re-arranged infrequently, and respond quickly to user commands.
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