Re: Attracting newbies
Daniel B. said...
> hendrik@topoi.pooq.com wrote:
> > On Thu, Feb 08, 2007 at 09:27:40AM -0000, marc wrote:
> >> Daniel B. said...
> ...
> >>> Please note another problem with PDF: The page size and layout
> >>> are fixed.
> >> Not really a problem, more of a feature of the format; the idea being
> >> that a PDF renders the same regardless of the display platform (at
> >> least, in theory). In many situations, this is a very good thing.
>
> It's a good thing only when the exact formatting really matters.
> However, frequently it's a bad thing.
But not if the situation requires precise formatting :-P Reread what I
was responding to and my comment makes sense.
> Delivering it in HTML allows the browser to break the lines to fit
> within the the user's chosen browser pane width. That's a heck of
> a lot more flexible.
Yup, but that's a different context to the original comment. By stating
that the sea is green does not preclude the fact that it is wet.
> >>> HTML adapts to the user's browser pane width (well, if the author
> >>> doesn't break HTML's ability to do that).
> >> Again, to be pedantic, it's CSS that controls the layout, hence the
> >> author simply provides multiple CSS, which is what it's designed to do.
>
> What do you mean by "the author simply provides multiple CSS"?
>
> If _you_ want to look at something in a full-screen browser window and
> _I_ want to use a half-screen-width browser window (e.g., to see two
> web pages side by side), how is an author going to provide multiple CSS
> stylesheets to cover both of us? What about every size in between?
Again, you've shifted the context. Of course it's not necessary in this
case. However, in an attempt to provide some useful information in this
post, there's an interesting approach to this issue here:
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/switchymclayout
> >>> The user can choose
> >>> how much screen width to use for a browser, the browser can
> >>> wrap regular text and tables to fit, and the user doesn't have
> >>> to scroll horizontally to read the bulk of the page.
> >> And the user can also provide their own CSS too, should they wish.
>
> Right. But the reader shouldn't have to re-write a page's style sheet
> just to be able to read it conveniently.
And no-one suggested that they should.
--
Cheers,
Marc
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