RE: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a usefullink)

["Paul Neshamkin" <pauln -at- helpauthors -dot- com>]

Mike,

Almost all the HATs create rich-text popups that can include links. These
are usually created with D2HTML and scripting. Some of them actually
approach the look and functionality of WinHelp popups. 

Microsoft is no longer using popups in any of their Help AFAIK. I am a great
fan of popups and feel it is one of the best ways to layer information. As a
MS Help MVP, I will fight for support of popups in whatever Vista Help
eventually becomes.


Regards,
 
Paul Neshamkin
pauln -at- helpauthors -dot- com
 
MS Help MVP
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help Certified Trainer and MVP
WexTech MVP, and Certified Trainer
 
The Paul Neshamkin Group
http://www.helpauthors.com
201-714-9525
 

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+pauln=helpauthors -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+pauln=helpauthors -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of Mike Starr
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:22 PM
To: Bill Swallow
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a
usefullink)

From: "Bill Swallow" <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful
link)


>> Right now the only option for desktop applications is HTML Help
>
> Who told you that? There are a plethora of Help formats for desktop
> applications.
>
>> and as far as I'm concerned, it's so seriously flawed that I'm avoiding 
>> it like
>> the plague.
>
> I'd really like to hear of these serious flaws.
>
>> WinHelp "just works"... it does everything I need and does it
>> quite nicely. If I were to switch to HTML Help, I'd be degrading the 
>> quality
>> of my documentation and wouldn't be able to guarantee that users would be
>> able to see it properly.
>
> The quality of your documentation? Or the quality of your
> implementation? There's a big difference between the two, and there
> isn't a glaring gap in quality of implementation between HLP and CHM.

The gap in quality of implementation between HLP and CHM is that HLP allows 
me to easily create popup windows that can contain formatted text with 
embedded links and it also allows me to create topic windows that have 
non-scrolling regions that I believe are a benefit to the user.
>
>> IIRC, even now, many Microsoft products still embed
>> WinHelp calls because HTML Help doesn't do all of the things they need it

>> to
>> do. So what are they going to do for those applications post-Vista??
>
> They'll use Vista Help. ;-)

Well, I'm certainly not going to embrace this mythical format until I've had

a chance to actually see it.

>
>> I'm not
>> sure they're going to budget for a conversion project for every one of 
>> 'em.
>> I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that the installation packages for 
>> those
>> applications will include either an installation of the WinHelp engine or

>> a
>> forced download and installation of it.
>
> Are you talking Microsoft applications? I'll bet dollars to doughnuts
> that MS Office applications and other business/developer tools made by
> Microsoft will harness the latest and greatest in Help delivery from
> Microsoft, as always.
>
>> If I have to kluge to add a download of the WinHelp engine to the
>> installation package, that's only one kluge...
>
> Provided it's legal to do so. We haven't seen the legalese behind the
> WinHelp viewer download yet.

I'd venture a guess that when Vista is released there'll be a great hue and 
cry about the need for the WinHelp engine.

>
>> if I switched to HTML Help,
>> I'd have to compromise many of my standards and adopt multiple kluges
>> (formatted popups with embedded links and non-scrolling regions).
>
> Such as?

formatted popups with embedded links and non-scrolling regions


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