At 23:01 29.04.99 +0200, Torsten Bergmann wrote:
Some weeks ago the squeak list mentioned a new technology for navigating complex data structures with a hyperbolic tree. The hyperbolic tree is a commercial product of Inxight software (http://www.inxight.com) and I haven't found any free sources all over the web.
Using such a tree would be cool. Can anyone point me to a location where I can find more informations about the implementation of this tree? Is anyone working on a squeak version ?
You certainly rang a bell here.
Until about a year ago, there was a tool that displayed Java profiling information using hyperbolic trees (HyperProf by Vladimir Bulatov, see http://www.physics.orst.edu/~bulatov/). As far as I can recall (or can research with DejaNews, try "+Xerox +patent" on comp.lang.java.*), Xerox seems to have contacted Mr. Bulatov and at least notified him of their patent #5,619,632 (see http://www.platibus.com/hyperprof/xeroxpatent.html for a bit of background information). Whatever that exchange may have been, it led to Mr. Bulatov taking down his (free) tool.
I am not a lawyer (nor do I play one on TV), but I think hyperbolic trees are a potential minefield. Please let's *not* start an argument re the validity of software patents here. It is a *shame* that HyperProf is dead, as it was a cute tool. I know, I tried it.
Just be aware of the traps, before another great tool bites the dust.
Cheers, Helge