Design and Implementation of an Online Directory Assistance System

摘要

This thesis describes the design and implementation of an online directory assistance system called DIRSYS that was modeled after the white pages of a paper telephone book and a full-screen display editor such as Emacs. As the user begins typing a name, the pages of this electronic telephone book appear on the screen, and the entry that most closely matches what the user has typed so far is highlighted. The system provides a tutorial for novice users and an online help facility for novices as well as experienced users. The system also provides a facility for keeping the information in the database up-to-date. A preliminary evaluation of DIRSYS indicates that the system can be used easily by both inexperienced computer users and that, except for its slow performance, DIRSYS is usable and robust. (Author)