As usual, people have missed the point of the original post (Anne's) which was that we need to remember the *user* -- that guy in Africa with only 2 hours of electricity each day. Anne suggested (I think) that he uses a laptop, but more likely he's using a worn-out IBM 486 running Windows 3, so all this geek-talk about XML and XSLT etc. is irrelevant to him -- he'll be lucky if he can run a standard web browser. [I can't believe that people still think they're doing good by shipping old 486's to Africa -- but apparently its true. I recently donated some old Pentium II's to a charity, and they couldn't believe their luck.] Anyway: Karl Eichwalder wrote:
Steve Thomas <stephen.thomas@adelaide.edu.au> writes:
But create an HTML file, properly, and then the user can do what they like with it. Want to print it out in Georgia 24pt? No problem. Your choice.
HTML isn't the best choice if you are interested in printing. Define "properly created" :) XML plus a customizable stylesheet (XSL or DSSSL) is better. For those who do not want to create a printable PDF file on their own offer a pre-generated PDF file.
My definition of "properly created" HTML would be HTML4 strict, plus CSS. I was trying to avoid obvious detail. And HTML is the *best* choice for printing if you don't have the in-depth knowledge about XML/XSL etc. or the tools to make that happen. Anyone with IE6 can make a pretty good print of my HTML books, straight from the browser. Skippi wrote:
This obsolete format should not be considered if even mentioned. Use XHTML + CSS instead, if you are allergic to XML. With properly written XHTML and customizable CSS user can do what ever he wishes with the files and the things are still as they should be.
XHTML is -- for practical purposes -- the same as HTML 4 strict, except that it enforces good practice, whereas HTML allows the author some latitude. The important difference, to a user, is that HTML is pretty much guaranteed to work in all browsers, whereas XHTML can be "difficult" in some circumstances -- e.g. if you include the <!xml> header, it can fould up IE6. A while ago, I started converting all my ebooks to XHTML, but immediately ran into problems that were'nt worth my time to fix. One day, browsers will commonly deal correctly with XML of any type, with an appropriate style sheet. Right now, HTML is the format that works best. This is, I know, very boring to those of us who like playing with the latest gizmos and formats. But the reality is, if you want the widest possible audience, you've got to give them the format that's easiest for them. For a more detailed discussion of this topic, see the archives, about January this year if memory serves, where you'll probably find me -- and you -- saying much the same things. -- Stephen Thomas, Senior Systems Analyst, Adelaide University Library ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY SA 5005 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 8 8303 5190 Fax: +61 8 8303 4369 Email: stephen.thomas@adelaide.edu.au URL: http://staff.library.adelaide.edu.au/~sthomas/