> Jeff has written:
>
> > 70-75 characters is the standard; most of the world uses it. IMHO, 64 is
> > just too small... especially when you use a "legal" notation style for
> > your FAQ like I do.
>
> The standard for hard-copy manuscripts submitted to editors
> is 60 characters. (The typeface is usually Courier 10 cpi,
> so the line is six inches long.) I fail to see why 64
> characters should be too short for the screen, if 60 is the
> standard among publishing professionals.
Computer operation, which is what we're talking about (real world
publishing be damned) is an 80 column teletype terminal; to be on the safe
side, we use 75 columns to allow for slight variations in terminal
emulation programs which may take up a column or two on each side.
I maintain my FAQ and my web pages to be viewed on text only terminals,
since they are the lowest common denominator, and now everyone has Mosiac,
Netscape, MSIE, Cello, etc. Some are stull stuck with Lynx over a 300
baud modem; and there's no reason to leave them out... and using the
argumnent that they are such a small percentage is no reason to do shoddy
work.
You can design pages and text documents to look good across multiple
browsers with a little bit of work; and usually once you do the work the
first time, the rest is child's play. (My frame laden pages look just as
good in Lynx as they do in Netscape; and it was trivial to do it; and
it uses one set of pages and a little JavaScript... why more people don't
is beyond me...)
So the publuishing world may live with 60 characters, but we're not
publishing here. We're making text documents available to the general
public; and as far as I am concerned, in the text only world of character
based terminals, 75 characters is the norm, not 60.
> Most of the world may use over 70, but most of the world does not follow
> professional guidelines. FAQ writers are not most of the world.
Your "professional guideleines" do not apply to character based terminals;
they apply to a whole other world of publishing; which the Net clearly
does not fit.
Jeff
Jeff Knapp
director@gti.net
I spilled spot remover on my dog and now he's gone.
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