Re: several list messages

Brother Baker (applemac@frank.mtsu.edu)
Sun, 4 Jun 1995 02:33:18 +0500


On Fri, 2 Jun 1995, Lennart Staflin wrote:

> kitblake writes:
> >It would be a good idea if we could organize text into columns.
>
> I don't think this should go into HTML. I you want to view text in multiple
> columns than instruct your browser to format it thus.

I disagree. I like the idea of being able to use columns in a document.
I know that, if my word processor doesn't support columns, I often have
problems with organizing pages of real paper the way I want. So I know
that there are uses for columns in HTML pages as well. I realize that
tables may help me with some of the formatting, but unless a "maxwidth"
attribute (or "columnwidth", etc.) is added, then I cannot keep the text
from widening the table without placing <BR>'s every few words. And
that, of course, is not much fun.

> >Long term:
> >I look forward to the day when we can drop the page metaphor, and have the
> >browser take over the whole screen, as do some interactive programs. Then
> >entering a site would really be entering a world.
>
> I look forward to the day when there is a lot of really useful information out
> there. But multiple coulumns seems to me to be clinging to the paper metaphor.

Why don't you like the page metaphor? I don't see the problem with it.
Could you expound on that, so that I could understand what you might
suggest instead. Thanks.

Also,
On Fri, 2 Jun 1995, Walter Ian Kaye replied to the "Long Term" remark:
>
> What if you want to view 3 different sites at once? It's something I
> do a lot.

I agree, if you try to fill the whole screen then it might cause some
hassles for some people. But, that should really be an issue for the
browsers' developers, I think. Probably off topic, since HTML probably
won't control the amount of the screen being used. (At least, I don't
suppose that it will.) But, I must say that (until I have good reason
not to) I like the page metaphor just fine like it is.

BTW, just who are all of you? I mean, I'm just a guy who is trying to
keep up with HTML for myself. And I would like to have some say as to
what happens to it in the future, just so that it won't be useless to
me, or too complicated for me to use. But, have some of you been
involved in developing other parts of the Web or what?
Just wondering. Thanks.
-James Baker
http://www.mtsu.edu/~applemac
-See also:
http://www.mtsu.edu/~mtcsc