Re: Multi column layout question.

Terje Norderhaug (Norderhaug.CHI@xerox.com)
Mon, 26 Jun 1995 15:36:58 -0800


At 6:16 AM 6/26/95, kitblake wrote:
>Wrong assumption: I work on an Indy - 1280x1024. And I still find 800 pixel
>line lengths hard to read. Two columns would help, and if the user only has
>640, it would only be one column. [...]

>>I assume people on this list, which is a technical discussion forum, have at
>>least skimmed the archives and familiarised themselves with existing HTML
>>features and proposals before proposing new HTML features. Could you then
>>explain how your proposed overloaded use of columns is an improvement on
>>these HTML 3.0 proposals?
>
>I am not testing or writing Arena/HTML3, but a column element seems simple
>to implement, and would provide many options in formatting a page. Options
>that I don't see available in:
>http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/MarkUp/html3/Contents.html

A new column element is of course not required at all. Somebody just need
to make a browser (if it is not already done) that formats a document using
more than one column. Just as a browser might format any document using an
initial larger character for each paragraph, if the _reader_ find that more
appealing, or center any header even without a center attribute, or
whatever formatting the reader might find most appealing. May be those that
propose new HTML features should have familiarized themselves with not only
existing standards but also with the philosophy behind HTML before
proposing new features.

-- Terje <Norderhaug.CHI@Xerox.com>
<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~terjen/>