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Subject:Re: QUESTION: Moving from WinHelp to HTML Help From:Brian Phelps <btphelps -at- OFFICEIQ -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 4 Nov 1997 18:27:51 PST
In article <01052383006150 -at- officeiq -dot- com>, Larry Weber wrote:
> Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 17:02:09 PST
> From: Larry Weber <larry_weber -at- HOTMAIL -dot- COM>
> Subject: QUESTION: Moving from WinHelp to HTML Help
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>
> HOW and WHY are you implementing HTML Help at this time? From what I
> understand, you presently can only develop HTML Help for one of the two
> major browsers.
Our client product is written in Java to run on any OS. Thus we are
compelled to move to HTML based help. Note that we are NOT using Microsoft
HTML help, but generic HTML help. This does require a browser that supports
Javascript. But since our product runs using Java, we didn't feel this was
too much to ask.
> Are you shipping a browser? Next, where do the HTML
> files reside? Do they reside on a single server that your users access
> via the internet, or do you actually ship the HTML files and store them
> on the user's machines?
Yes. The dialog based F1 help resides on the client workstation. Invisible
to the user (except for some icons indicating otherwise) are links within
the help to installation-related information that's stored on our web
server.
>
> If the HTML files reside on an internet server, have you gotten feedback
> concerning the response time to access the HTML file vs. response time
> to access a local WinHelp file? How does this architecture handle
> context-sensitive Help?
No negative feedback so far. Use of the installation files is limited, I'm
sure. Part of our design. We're also sitting on a T1 pipeline to the net.
> Also, have you collected any data about the
> types of information that users access (i.e., have you made any
> conclusions about what users actually USE in the online doc)?
Still evaluating that.
> Finally, is it just me, or does anyone else get the feeling that this
> HTML Help thing is (presently) more trendy than actually feasible?
>
Well, we've been implementing a version of HTML help that runs on either
Netscape or MS for several months. I was waiting with baited breath for
Netscape's release of it's HTML help SDK, but it's only compatible with
Communicator. Trendy or not, I believe HTML-based help is here to stay.
Whether we'll ever have a real tool compiler that runs help on any
(java-supported) platform is going to be up to an independent developer.
Anyone ready to grab the bull by the horns and usurp both Netscape and MS?
Brian Phelps
btphelps -at- officeiq -dot- com
Webmaster http://www.ilux.com
Web site analysis for NT and Unix
from any browser world-wide
