WYSIWYG editors and extraneous code

[Ernest Perez]

> I guess I think back to the fun of dot commands in Script or original
> WordStar.  They are a perfect analogy for HTML tags, as we used to have to
> put .in5 in the left margin every time we wanted a line indented five
> spaces, and .pa for each paragraph, etc, etc.  For all I know now, the
> codes hidden in Word97 are equally bloated, but do I care?  Nope.  It does
> the job.  Period.
> I realize that I'm not a cataloger or a programmer (though I've done both),
> and lack the drive for absolute perfection that both of those professions
> stereotypically aspire to, but why can't we just accept that "If it ain't
> broke, don't fix it".   After all, no matter how perfect we make it, the
> viewer on the other end will probably just mung it up with his browser
> options anyway.

Dan, I agree with these pragmatic conclusions. Seems to me that many
people have lost sight of the fact that HTML, like SGML, is a DOCUMENT
description language describing logical structure of the document, and
not a PAGE description formatting language, for exact presentation. By
design, it is browser-dependent, so you simply cannot count on what it's
gonna look like. 

I think we all have to make some assumption of what the majority of OUR
OWN target audience probably uses, and try to design towards that. But
we also have to be ready to supply or help said users with the favored
browser, and be ready with a little advice or help.  Just like we show
them how to use a printed copy of an index.  

I mean, really, most users are not wedded to a give browser because of
some exhaustive comparative evaluation.  It's usually what Fred or Clara
put on the machine for them; what came with the machine, etc.

Admittedly, one will probably find it wise to avoid egregious and
elaborate constructions that will look awful or dysfunctional in other
popular browsers. Why ask for trouble?  If we really wanted to be
purists, we could also insist that all abstracts/descriptions be written
only in logically perfect Esperanto, I s'pose.

-ernest

--------------------------------------------------------
Ernest Perez, Ph.D.
Oregon State Library
perez at opac.osl.state.or.us
503-378-4243, xt 257
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"Lack of planning on your part does not necessarily mean
 an emergency on my part."