Subject: Re: Help engine/file format (was CD-based distribution...)
From: [email-masked] (Stephen L Arnold)

20 Aug 1998 17:53:55 -0700
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On 17 Aug 98, Jeff Sturm wrote:

> HTML help files are a good idea provided the user has a decent browser
> installed (probably nearly all desktops these days).  Plenty of tools
> exist to convert man and tekinfo files to HTML (I assume).
> 
> One problem using static files for help is the lack of a search
> facility.  I've heard Microsoft has done something for Win98, but that
> won't help us since the GNU-win32 distribution is targetting Win95/NT too.
>  Maybe someone can build a help engine based on Apache though...
> 
> Marcus Brown wrote:
> > 
> > An Idea,
> > How about using HTML Help as opposed to .info/man files?  This is an
> > up'n'coming help system that seems to be gaining a lot of ground, just a
> > suggestion...
> > 
> > Jeff Sturm wrote:
> > >The 'man' command should be included.  What about HTML, or (ick)
> > Windows
> > >.hlp files?
> > 

It would be nice if the man command came with the base distribution 
(or EGCS).  Or better still, a win32 X-man type shell with a 
command list, search features,etc.

Unless you have the latest PII, K6, etc, most current browsers are 
slow (piggish), and it seems like Apache would have to be trimmed 
down quite a bit.

(I'm not much of a coder myself, yet, so I love throwing this stuff 
out) <grin>  How about text files with an interface to select 
available help files and use grep to search with?  It's faster than 
you might think, even on *lots* of files.  It could even be 
configurable for multiple file formats (using a lynx base for the 
HTML part?).

I've got a win32GUI plus the GNU grep source (GPL'd, of course).  I 
can't do much myself yet, as I just had my first (beginning) C 
class last night.  Would any real coders out there like to take a 
stab at it?  If you're not up to it, just say so...  ;-}

Just my way of saying Hi to the list.

Steve

*************************************************************
Steve Arnold                            [email-masked]
http://www.rain.org/~sarnold

Fatal error:  MS Windows detected, deleting DOS partition...
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