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To: FrameUsers <framers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Framers <framers@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Online help formats (Was: ANNOUNCE: WebWorks Publisher training)
From: Thomas Michanek <tmi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 20:36:06 +0100 (MET)
cc: Debbi Leipold <debbi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Jeremy H. Griffith" <jeremy@xxxxxxxxx>, Technical writers <techwr-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
In-Reply-To: <007a01be70a4$78cb7620$1b00a8c0@Debbi.GRAPHSOFT>
Reply-To: Thomas Michanek <tmi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: owner-framers@xxxxxxxxx
On Wed, 17 Mar 1999, Debbi Leipold wrote: > I feel we (the help industry) will end up with some sort of html/xml base > and that is where I am putting my resources. Why go from frame to rtf to > help when you can go from frame to help pretty easily. > > As a tech pubs manager for a software developer, I have evaluated the trend. > Look at most major software and aside from microsft products that still use > winhelp, everyone is going to an html based solution. I'd like to ask you, and everyone else, what you think of PDF as an alternative? I admit that PDF isn't primarily designed for online help, but it works and Acrobat 3 itself uses it. The main advantages are of course very simple conversion from Frame, nearly all types of hypertext links are preserved, complete control of layout, the possibility to get good print-outs, built-in search engine, and automatic bookmarks (TOC). The main problems we have with our own HTML conversion (not using WWP), are that complex graphics convert badly, the limited formatting capabilities of plain HTML, lousy print-outs, and the fact that the user can change the size and fonts, thereby reformatting the whole document and "destroying" the layout (which I think is a Good Thing with HTML in general; I don't like fixed page sizes in HTML). Disadvantages are problems with fuzzy text and graphics online, a binary and proprietary format, limitations in the API for calling Acrobat Reader as help viewer (cross-platform), and perhaps (?) performance issues (memory, speed, filesize). Have anyone seen any help system using PDF, apart from Acrobat 3? What help format is used in Acrobat 4? *If* you think PDF is mainly for distributing electronic documents for end-user printing, why do you need all the hypertext links? I mean, if you distribute PDF and expect your users to read the PDF docs on-screen and follow all links, doesn't it then in fact become a PDF online help system? There, was that provocative enough? ;-) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thomas Michanek, Documentation Manager, Telelogic Tau Telelogic AB, Teknikringen 9, SE-58330 Linkoping, SWEDEN PHONE/FAX: +46 (0)13 200656/212166 EMAIL: mailto:Thomas.Michanek@telelogic.com WWW 1: http://www.telelogic.com WWW 2: http://hem1.passagen.se/framers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - See you at the Telelogic User Conference '99, May 19-21, in Barcelona, Spain: http://www.telelogic.com/news/userconf.asp ** To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@omsys.com ** ** with "unsubscribe framers" (no quotes) in the body. **