SEUL: Re: file formats (html iz cool)

[jmunoz@nospam.mho.net]

I agree that doc format (whether WP or Word) is a moving target, and is
specifically designed as a hook or one way process.  You can convert to
word with Word, but not away from it.  It is a sample hit to hook you on
the product. Forcing WP or Word users to learn to interoperate is also
good. 
  
Also, the format itself is ridiculously bloated with useless features
(revision control that no one uses within the file, for ex.).  Compare
the sizes of like documents in doc and html.  I often see 3 to 1 ratio. 

I think that the Help system in X should be html based too.  Friendly
pages, no b&w xterm window to scare the GUI generation, with multiple
ways to approach the content.  This would be a good project for later
when the important, hard stuff was all complete and it was time to
document.

Fourthly, It strikes me that there are representational similarities
between file manager and a web browser viewing a ftp site or local
filesystem.  Why can't one app do both and encapsulate the differences? 
Make a remote ftp site and a local directory appear (conceptually) the
same?  The same for mail.  Have the mail tool be a frames based html doc
with a local files frame(messages), a ascii text frame (the message),
and a folders frame with drag and drop funtionality for storing mail?  I
havn't thought about extending this to news yet.  I know this is
probably both difficult and a bit out of the Unix (tm) tradition of one
(small) app for one function, but could go a ways in simplifying the
whole system without reducing functionality M$ style.  This all came out
of what I see as convergent features and shortcomings of Lotus and
Netscape products. - I think a better interface could do more with less
complexity.  Hopefully this is not (on the other hand, hopefully it is)
what wurd is about.  

-- 
John Munoz:  jmunoz at mho.net. Remove nospam from Reply address, or
change at to @  No unsolicited ads please. send spam, get added here:
alfoster@llv.com glen.quantc.com Support the Anti-Spam bill.  Join at
http:/www/cauce.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simple End User Linux Mailing list
To be removed from this mailing list send a message to majordomo@txcc.net
with the line
unsubscribe seul-project
in the body of the letter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------