RE: Electronic help files/manuals HTML Help or PDF?

["Bill Lawrence" <scribe -at- matrixplus -dot- com>]

Why not implement a single-source system, and provide both? 

BTW, at both my previous and current employer, we discovered that
customers are happier with PDF than print.  They can print the sections
they want and not be bothered with keeping track of a book.

Bill Lawrence
Senior Technical Writer
Matrix Solutions

> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-techwr-l-118196 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-
> 118196 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com] On Behalf Of Hart, Geoff
> Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 9:48 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Electronic help files/manuals HTML Help or PDF?
> 
> 
> Bethany Rusbasan wonders: <<We have been using Forehelp Premier 4 to
> create
> the HTML-Help. Context-sensitive help is used. Now that Forehelp is
gone
> the
> need to switch to another help authoring tool is upon us.>>
> 
> Not really. So long as you don't upgrade your operating systems so
much
> that
> ForeHelp no longer works, you can keep using the software productively
for
> years to come. (Speaking as someone who's been using Word 97 for
roughly 5
> years now and who feels no need to upgrade... <g> Well, I may upgrade
to
> Word 2000 for additional stability, but not feeling any urgent need.)
> 
> <<A debate is taking place on whether we should continue with
HTML-help or
> switch to PDF.>>
> 
> There shouldn't be any debate. You mentioned that you're using
> context-sensitive help (as you should be) and you simply can't do that
> easily or elegantly with PDF. Stick with ForeHelp and HTML Help.
> 
> <<I would like to know what are the pros of PDFs. How searchable is
it? Is
> it at searchable as HTML-help? Any pros and cons of both HTML-Help and
PDF
> is appreciated.>>
> 
> PDF is at least as searchable as HTML Help. Possibly better, actually.
> Acrobat lets you use "stemming", "sounds like", "proximity", and a
> thesaurus
> to enhance searching; I don't think I've seen any of these for HTML
Help.
> My
> take on this: If you truly believe your customers will be happy to
print
> their own user manuals, at roughly twice the cost of buying a printed
> manual
> from you, then ship the user manuals as PDF. If not, print your own
> manuals.
> In either case, keep the HTML Help.
> 
> --Geoff Hart, geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
> Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
> 580 boul. St-Jean
> Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada



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