From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Robert J. Chassell" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: terminal escapes in Info files? Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 01:13:00 +0000 (UTC) Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <200310281746.h9SHk2915693@f7.net> Reply-To: bob@rattlesnake.com NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1067478542 1790 80.91.224.253 (30 Oct 2003 01:49:02 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 01:49:02 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Thu Oct 30 02:49:00 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1AF1vo-0005N7-00 for ; Thu, 30 Oct 2003 02:49:00 +0100 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1AF1vn-0006b0-00 for ; Thu, 30 Oct 2003 02:49:00 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AF1qw-0006ey-MN for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Wed, 29 Oct 2003 20:43:58 -0500 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1AF1Ol-00053C-Ki for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 29 Oct 2003 20:14:51 -0500 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1AF1OC-0004oG-Ct for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 29 Oct 2003 20:14:47 -0500 Original-Received: from [140.186.114.245] (helo=rattlesnake.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AF1N1-00044u-3W for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 29 Oct 2003 20:13:03 -0500 Original-Received: by rattlesnake.com via sendmail from stdin id (Debian Smail3.2.0.115) Thu, 30 Oct 2003 01:13:00 +0000 (UTC) Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org In-reply-to: (message from Stefan Monnier on 29 Oct 2003 13:09:05 -0500) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Emacs development discussions. List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:17598 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:17598 But I don't see why the Info format is superior to the HTML markup language, ... By default, HTML does not distinguish between references to another part of the same document on a different HTML page and references to a different document. This means that you cannot search through a multi-page document. The `find next part' component of a regexp search engine cannot be sure it is finding the next part close by. You cannot navigate efficiently using search. Of course, good writers can write good documents, and only make proper references; but this depends on a writer going against the design of the language. The capability is there, but writers can, and most do, ignore the capability. Indeed, major Web browsers lack default key bindings for `next', `previous', and `up' pages of a document -- probably for the good reason that the keys would fail on most Web sites. I have the strong impression that those who browse the Web do not know that it is possible and pleasant to navigate efficiently through a multi-page document by pressing the space bar or with regular expression searches. They are impressed by the advantages of the Web over printed-book libraries and filing cabinets and do not realize they are missing computer features that have been available for a generation. Also writers have a tendency to use various HTML features, like side bars, that work find for sighted readers with fast connections, but which cause trouble when the reader is using a slow connection. Moreover, as a practical matter, writers of HTML documents tend to think of their readers as sighted rather than blind. They tend to depend on pictures. They do not think of a sighted expert with a slow connection as effectively blind; they do not think of the permanently blind. This over-dependence on images is not an HTML design feature. The problems imposed cannot be blamed on HTML, like the problem with efficient navigation. But the problem does tend to accompany Web browsers and HTML documents. -- Robert J. Chassell Rattlesnake Enterprises http://www.rattlesnake.com GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 http://www.teak.cc bob@rattlesnake.com