Re: How do you take your docs, HTML or PDF?

Hi.

afaiac, I definitely prefer HTML over PDF for all purposes - but others may disagree, I donīt know.
The reason is, PDFs consume many times more space than HTML of the same content.
I am making my own documentations in HTML/CSS to use it online; and if necessary, I can easily change it when detecting errors or addings and so on.
You do not need any special tools like Frontpage (I actually hate it because it generates too fat and unnecessary code), in an plane editor You can do most things by using just 10 tags. It is easy. The only thing that I miss are mathematic tags like matrices.

One thing is, that I prefer a 2 frame layout whit a slim menu on the left and the contents pages on the right.

PDFs is - to my ming - only good for printing, especially when you have graphics inside - that woud be
<img src> in HTML, so one advantage of PDF maybe that is all is kept in one file.

Some small comments inside...

"John Russell" <netnews5_at_johnrussell.mailshell.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:tiqa5v4u4pro4766lo5h81u1vqgfufng6c_at_4ax.com...
> Noons wrote:
>
> >The manuals are much easier
> >to consult, particularly if you download the pdfs
> >and keep them on your desktop or notebook.
>
> I had a discussion the other day where it was asserted that HTML was
> all-around better for certain types of documentation, such as API
> reference doc. As an advocate of online documentation in general, I
> like HTML for some things and PDF for others. I'm curious how others
> feel on that subject.

I would prefer HTML on all types of documentation.

>
> In particular, if you frequently use PDF:
>
> - Do you view it online (as I interpret Nuno to suggest) or print it
> out?

Most of my PDFs I find when googling around to find answers for some problems.
I read them roughly when downloading, and when I find them important, I make a print.

>
> - If you print it out, is there some limitation of having it on the
> computer that makes it necessary to have a hardcopy? (E.g. easier to
> jot notes, don't always have a computer handy, limited screen size.)
>
> And if you frequently use HTML:
>
> - Do you favour certain types of information, such as API reference,
> for looking up online?
>
> I remember hearing a while back that the cryptic PDF names might be a
> problem. Someone using the doc CD can pick from a list of books and
> open the PDF. (There's an HTML-format page and a PDF-format page,
> both linking to all the PDF files.)
>Do people often use just a couple
> of PDFs without having the complete doc CD? I wonder if having some
> sort of file-renamer would be handy.

Definitely it would be. Now I do it all by hands ...

>
> Thanks,
> John

You are welcome
Jan Received on Fri Feb 21 2003 - 02:04:53 CST