Re: xref vs link

["Tamminga, Ernie" <et -at- DSC -dot- COM>]

My half-cents' worth:

In a hardcopy document, it can be annoying to keep running into
cross-references, because they interrupt the flow of what you're
reading.

Reading along, reading along, reading along (See such and such on page
so and so...). Reading along, (See such and such on page so and so...).
Reading along . . .

In an online document, a word or a phrase is a different color and/or
format to indicate a hyperlink, but no "extra" words are there to
interrupt the flow of the reading.

I say: online, use hyperlinks wherever you think the reader might need
or want some related information.  In hardcopy, be very judicious
cross-references.

Or better, I guess: in ANY case be judicious, but "judicious" has
different quantitative value in each context.

--------
Ernie Tamminga
Director, InfoEngineering
Digital Sound Corporation
-----------------------------------------------
Opinions expressed are my own, and not necessarily those of Digital
Sound Corporation

>-----Original Message-----
>From:  Joe Malone [SMTP:joe -at- VNETTECH -dot- COM]
>Sent:  Thursday, October 30, 1997 3:14 PM
>To:    TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject:       xref vs link
>
>I wrote a hardcopy manual once and simply loaded it with
>cross-references, feeling proud that a reader could get anywhere they
>needed to go (the xrefs included page number). Reaction was negative.
>
>Now I'm preparing to do html files for a browswer. Figured I'd load it
>with referenced links between files. But will this still be a turnoff -
>should I duplicate lots of info to minimize jumping around? Compromise?
>
>Posts: mailto:techwr-l -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu
>Commands: mailto:listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g. SIGNOFF TECHWR-L)
>Archives: http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html,
>Subjects: JOB:, QUESTION:, SUMMARY:, ANNOUNCE:, or none of these.
>
>

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