Re: Progress on HTML 3

lilley (lilley@afs.mcc.ac.uk)
Wed, 8 Nov 1995 18:18:56 +0000 (GMT)


malcolm clark said:

> On Tue, 7 Nov 1995, Robert Hazeltine wrote:
> > Can someone fill me in on the state of play with features of HTML3 dealing
> > with formulas, maths and the like? Our library wants to include exam papers
> > in its Web pages which contain material that goes beyond HTML2.
> >
> > Any suggestions would be helpful.

> acrobat, acrobat, acrobat......

Coming soon to a Unix platform near you (but not very soon)

an alternative -

<embed href="foo.tex"><caption>Equation 37</caption>
Some equations, also available in
<a href="bar">other formats</a></embed>

Embed is the proposed replacement for FIG.

> html3 maths is a bit limited at best. probably up to
> a-level standard (i.e. pre-university).

Better than inlined GIFs though.

Another possibility is to use the Euromath DTD (again with embed).

> and personally
> i doubt that it will ever be implemented generally.

Repeat often; makes it come true. Note: if anyone in UK HEI would like to see
the HTML 3.0 math given more of a push from W3C, drop me an email. Ditto
if you think (like Malcolm) that it achieves nothing and should not be pushed
for. I am keen to determine UK HEI views on this matter.

As monolithic applications give way to extensible applications (via plugins)
or flocks of cooperating applets I see no reason that equation support
should be any harder to arrange than, say, inline Director or inline VRML.

-- 
Chris Lilley, Technical Author and JISC representative to W3C 
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