RE: Non-browser uses of HTML

Lee Daniel Crocker writes in <199605081752.KAA28983@web1.calweb.com>:
>I am considering recommending to my company that we stand-
>ardize on HTML for all of our internal documents for the
>same reason.  It will be easier for us to convert them to
>whatever visual-based format we need, they will be easier
>to search and index, and they will be directly viewable on
>any computer in the building without special software. I
>may have to revisit this decision if HTML continues down
>the visual-based road.

But it isn't a visual-based road.  The endgoal is to allow visual users 
their visual niceties via stylesheets and OBJECT, while preserving 
structured data for those of us who need and use it (the infrastructure 
people).  Remember, some of the most popular sites on the Web -- the search 
engines and indexes -- rely on the structured aspect of HTML to accurately 
and precisely obtain data for their users.

Yes, there will be HTML authors who will misuse <FONT> and CLASS to create 
visual effects that should be handled via structure mechanisms.  But they 
are the losers, as their data will be less likely to be indexed and 
searched.

Eventually (which may be a few years down the road), I expect that the 
majority of Web pages will "look nice" via stylesheets and OBJECT, but will 
have a reasonable structure because that is what is needed for those pages 
to be accurately indexed and searched.
======================================================================
Mark Leighton Fisher                   Thomson Consumer Electronics
fisherm@indy.tce.com                   Indianapolis, IN

Received on Thursday, 9 May 1996 14:54:14 UTC