Re: Re: Which format is best for a book that will be downloaded?

From: "Daniel P. B. Smith"
> PDF first choice, HTML second.
>
> In my opinion, as a reader/buyer, the ideal would be a ZIP 
> file
> containing _both_ HTML and PDF versions. Stephen King's 
> unsuccessful
> experiment with "The Plant" offered this option.
>
> If it were
> --an electronic edition that was also available as a paper 
> book
> --something I planned to print out
> --something I planned to read on my desktop screen
> --something I were using for research and wanted to cite 
> page numbers on
> --something rich in illustrations, tables, or graphs
>
> then I'd want PDF.
>
> For a document that was mostly plain text, then I'd prefer 
> HTML,
> particularly if I intended to read it on a portable 
> device.
>
> Due to laziness on my part or on the part of people who 
> produce them,
> I find that PDF editions tend to be more readable than 
> HTML, because
> the publisher usually makes a good choice of font, line 
> length, and
> line spacing.
>
> HTML files don't usually come with good CSS styles built 
> in, and I'm
> too lazy to create them myself. They usually show up on my 
> screen in
> a Times-like font that's
>
> --too small,
> --not well-tuned for 80 pixels per inch,
> --not antialiased,
> --with lines that are too long and too closely spaced 
> together.
>
>

Daniel raises an excellent point about HTML. But it is 
extremely difficult to control uncontained text in dedicated 
readers through it, without some access to the parameters of 
the readers. Even then organising the code with CSS for each 
one is a lot of work. But maybe someone has some practical 
answers to that.

Joseph Harris  -  Debt Control Man
author: Control Your Debt Crisis on Your Own Terms
blog: http://debtcontrolman.wordpress.com
site: http://www.controlyourdebtcrisis.co.uk
wiki: http://www.controlyourdebtcrisis.co.uk/debtwiki/
ezine: 
debtcrisisnews-subscribe-81qHHgoATdGiZAWpSjG6+Rq5H0TW4eMuLld22O+yBnhaa/[email protected] 



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