[WEB4LIB] Re: PDF versus HTML

[Andrew Darby]

Well, I don't think this is true.  There are better uses for each 
display method.  Jakob Nielsen, web usability guru of last resort, has 
the following to say:

<snippet>PDF is good for printing, but that's it. Don't use it for 
online presentation.</snippet>

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030714.html

I would add that I had the same experience with Cites & Insights--I 
thought it looked interesting, but found reading that sort of document 
online frustrating.  Personal preference?  Oui.  But that drives users' 
interaction with the web.

Andrew Darby
Web Services Librarian
Ithaca College Library
http://www.ithaca.edu/library/

Drew, Bill wrote:
>  This is really like the argument over Apple versus IBM.  It is a matter
> of personal preference and appropriate use.  Why make it anymore than
> that?  Worrying about document size and file size is ludicrous anymore.
> I have accessed Walt Crawford's PDFs from home via our dial-up account
> with no problem at all.  I also see webpages that take for ever to load
> at home or at work because of stupid graphics or slow servers.
> 
> Bill Drew
> 
>