A Whatchamacallit for Words

This word/idea/document processor is something else, but we're just not sure what to call it.

Russell Kay

Dan Bricklin created the electronic spreadsheet as we now know it. His subsequent software products have all been distinct and different -- category makers and breakers. So, too, is his latest brainchild, Trellix . There's no category label that clearly conveys what Trellix does. In brief, it lets you create hypertext documents that function like a Web browser, outline processor, and presentation-graphics package rolled into one, complete with instant links to other parts of a document or accessible URLs.

Paper documents are mostly read from beginning to end, while Web sites are clearly nonlinear: You branch back and forth, and when you find an interesting link, you click on it and bring it u p. This navigation ability is the essence of Trellix, which is designed for on-screen viewing.

A Trellix document appears in two parts: a map that shows the document's structure, and the pages. Each page can have up to four borders (which are typically quite wide) that house navigation buttons, text elements, or graphics. There is also an optional outline view. The map shows each page as a small rectangle, highlighting the current page in yellow, indicating sequential links by connecting lines, and representing structure by a vertical hierarchy. When your cursor hovers over a page icon on the map, a label appears with that page's title. Put your cursor on an underlined link, and the corresponding map icon is also highlighted.

When creating a document, you can write pages in any order and rearran ge them by dragging and dropping icons on the map. You can import content from existing documents in a variety of formats. Menu items make it easy to create links and sequences of pages. It's easy to present summary information without interrupting the flow of the document. And it's even easier to incorporate auxiliary information and footnote-like references that don't get in the way.

Trellix lets you program complex documents for the reader. You can create different viewing sequences (Trellix calls them tours) in the same document, for different purposes or audiences. You can print a Trellix document, but you would normally view it with Trellix itself, a free viewer, or as an exported HTML page that any browser can display.

Trellix isn't a normal word processor for writing letters, e-mail, or the Great American Novel, nor is it a PowerPoint replacement. But it offers a powerful new potential for presenting and viewing structured information, from research reports to textbooks to business plans.

I drafted this Eval using the "sneak peek" version 0.8, which didn't implement all the package's promised features but was easy to use without a manual. If the final release lives up to this early promise, Trellix will be a useful tool that could revolutionize many kinds of writing and presentation.

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Where to Find

Trellix 1.0............................$99 (estimated street price)

Trellix Corp.
Waltham, MA
Phone:    617-899-4700
Fax:      617-899-1703
Internet: 
http://www.trellix.com

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Whatever It Is, It Works

screen_link (60 Kbytes)

Trellix organizes information with a document map, hyperlinks, an outline view, and dedicated screen areas.

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Russell Kay is a BYTE technical editor in the reviews department. You can reach him by sending e-mail to russellk@bix.com .