The format text file is unsatisfying anyway, but as long as we insist on having it, we should make the best of it. Even if the page numbers are only given every second pages because of long paragraphs, it is IMO still better than not giving any at all. And putting it at the start of a paragraph would not make it useless in case of indices. It would reduce the search of the user to a couple of pages instead of a lot of them. Christine
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Marcello Perathoner <marcello@perathoner.de> To: Project Gutenberg Volunteer Discussion <gutvol-d@lists.pglaf.org> Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:22:27 +0100 Subject: [gutvol-d] Re: so what is so important about pagination? christine wrote:
I am not talking about adding big chunk of blank lines, but of either including the page number like that [p.101] in the text, I do not like this solution since it disturb when doing a search;
or adding the page number at the start of the 1. paragraph starting on a page, e.g.:
change of page, blah blah end of paragraph.
[p.101]Text of the new paragraph.
With a TN explaining that the page numbers are not accuratly placed at the start of the page, but at the start of the 1. paragraph starting on that page. The aim is to make the use of the files as easy and comfortable to the reader as possible.
Probably would not work with Ulysses or Kant or many other texts that have multi-page paragraphs.
So we are left with:
1. put the page number where it belongs, even if its in the middle of a word, or
2. put the page number where it irritates less, even if its up to one whole paragraph off.
Of course 2. would make it useless for indices, the use case you advocated in the first place.
Both cases are unsatisfying, IMO.
The only place where page numbers belong is in invisible markup that can be made visible on demand (CSS edit or so).
-- Marcello Perathoner webmaster@gutenberg.org