On 2/24/2011 11:01 PM, don kretz wrote:
At DP, we haven't even identified enough HTML structure to provide a standard encoding for the most basic structural elements of a book - i.e. Chapters.
I can believe this. Not that XHTML doesn't provide a way to encode chapters -- I can think of 3 or 4 ways off the top of my head -- but that DP couldn't come together and agree on a solution.
Nor a way to embed illustrations in the HTML other than as (non-portable) url links.
I suppose you could embed them in an <object> element, but it seems to me that a nice, portable, relative URL is a completely acceptable method.
It seems to me that XHTML is especially badly suited to encoding books.
The marketplace disagrees. If commercial companies can make it work, why can't DP?
I can't imagine how anyone builds an ebook without identifying and acquiring chapters and illustrations.
Nor can I, but given the fact that HTML /can/ accommodate those things this statement is a bit of a non-sequitor.