atw: eBooks (WAS: Vale technical writing?)
- From: Howard Silcock <howard.silcock@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:12:14 +1100
> e-readers as yet cannot manage tables
I know this is peripheral to what you were saying, but it'd be
more accurate to say that *some* e-readers cannot manage tables. Elizabeth
Castro's book *EPUB: Straight to the point* has a whole section on how to
create tables and so does Joshua Tallent's book *Kindle formatting: the
complete guide*. The Kindle (later versions) and the iPad both handle
tables, though you need to do some work to get them to. Those readers would
account for a large slice of the market between them.
Howard
On 28 February 2012 08:10, Christine Kent <cmkentau@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Just to clarify, you can produce your eBooks in Word. I do. You can read
> them on both a reader and a computer and print them from the e-reader on
> your computer or the Word file.****
>
> ** **
>
> I have never touched XML except through Word. From a design point of view,
> you do not need to simulate the reader layout when you are writing the
> material, but I do because I like to work WYSIWYG. I have created an
> e-reader template and have learned to design the chunking of my content to
> fit on an e-reader page within the formatting limitations of the tools I
> use. In a way it just adds another constraint to Information Mapping – the
> page size. From my point of view, the real limitations are that e-readers
> as yet cannot manage tables, and that font sizing is limited to HTML
> options. ****
>
> ** **
>
> Other than that, my documents are built like any other documents in Word.
> ****
>
> ** **
>
> I doubt this is what Tony is talking about – particularly in relation to
> content management, but I do notice that many of the replies do not seem to
> understand that we can remain Word junkies if we want to. We can build our
> content any which way we like and modules can be any size required. It can
> all work the same way it currently works – if we want it to.****
>
> ** **
>
> Christine****
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
> austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Anthony Self
> *Sent:* Monday, 27 February 2012 11:14 PM
>
> *To:* austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> *Subject:* atw: Re: Vale technical writing?****
>
> ** **
>
> Hi Bill****
>
> ****
>
> I think I am in almost total agreement with what you've written.
> Handcrafting requires lots of effort to produce the fancy stuff. Automation
> does not. That's the efficiency that I am talking about... better products
> with less effort.****
>
> ****
>
> Where I might disagree is where you say your boss in Houston wants the
> report in Word. He might also want it in a format he can read on his eBook
> or iPad or mobile phone while on a plane or on the toilet.****
>
> ****
>
> It's interesting that you mention SOPs, because in my actual talk (not the
> version that Geoffrey divined from the synopsis) I do spend some time
> talking about the role of standards. ****
>
> ****
>
> Cheers****
>
>
> Tony****
>
>
>
> >>> Bill Parker <bill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 26/02/12 12:55 PM
> >>>
> I think Tony Self has no contact with the real world.
>
> I am dealing with scientists and engineers who need to deliver plain
> documents in Word, and if their readers cannot read them, that's a failure
> in communications straightaway.
>
> Here's an example. Your firm manages an FPSO. A seriously large converted
> oil tanker that has a drilling rig at one end, a helipad and storage tanks.
> You are in the thick of complex procedures, safety requirements. You write
> SOPs, you write reports from the broken rail to the serious accident.
>
> Where's the time to get into the fancy stuff when the boss in Houston
> wants a report in Word that he or she can read ASAP? The KEY issue is
> clear, correct, comprehendible writing produced in the quickest way
> possible. These guys do not have time to scratch themselves, and many are
> FIFOs. And Australia is currently dependant on them and their colleagues in
> ore mining to keep some semblance of an economy going.
>
> Bill ****
>
> ****
>
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