xml or html for Ubuntu Guides

[Matthew Paul Thomas]

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On 2 Dec, 2005, at 3:14 PM, Matthew East wrote:
> ...
> For dapper, the About Ubuntu panel entry looks like it is going to be
> opening a program [1] written especially for the purpose (like the 
> About Gnome dialogue), rather than yelp. So it looks like the problem
> encountered in Breezy will not arise.
>
> [1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/AboutUbuntu
>
> For this reason, the possibility of shipping the docs in html is now
> again a valid one,

Cool, I didn't realize AboutUbuntu was going to have such a positive 
side-effect. :-)

> and I thought I would therefore reopen debate on the subject.
> ...
> My personal opinion is in favour of html. Here are what I see the
> advantages and disadvantages of html:
>
> Advantages:
> ...
> * Greater loading speed (this is the killer for me) - Yelp renders in
> html, and therefore converts xml to html using its own stylesheets 
> when you load a document. The time it takes to load pages from xml in 
> yelp is probably enough to put the user off the help entirely!
> ...

Agreed -- in Breezy, the delay between clicking the Help launcher and 
seeing actual help text on the screen is horrific. I'll prefer HTML too 
for this reason alone.

> ...
> Disadvantages:
>
> * There is no side panel in the html. I don't think this is a
> particularly serious disadv. because the html we build has quite good
> navigation included.

Another positive side-effect! (That sidebar makes the help viewer too 
large.)

- -- 
Matthew Paul Thomas
http://mpt.net.nz/
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