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Re: anyone know of RTF translator?

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At Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:59:29 -0600 "Peter H. Coffin" <hellsop@ninehells.com> wrote:

> 
> On Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:16:19 -0600, Robert Heller wrote:
> > At 20 Dec 2011 21:15:36 GMT Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> 
> >> On Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:05:34 -0500, Jerry Stuckle wrote:
> >> 
> >> > On 12/19/2011 7:06 PM, Michael Joel wrote:
> >> >> I could really use some "add on" app/script that would allow me to
> >> >> supply a RTF (rich text format) file and it translate it to HTML. Of
> >> >> course free is preferred.
> >> 
> >> > Open it in MS Word
> >> > Save it in HTML
> >> 
> >> You owe me a keyboard cleaning Jerry. Honestly, have you seen the garbage 
> >> that msword outputs when you ask it for html.
> >> 
> >> Open office might be better, I don't know. It generates this for a 
> >> document containing a single word:
> >
> > Word Processors (*ALL* of them) generate horrible HTML (MS-Word might
> > be the worst of the lot).  The problem is the Word Processors are all
> > 'WYSIWYG' and HTML *by definition* is *NOT* WYSIWYG: HTML markup allows
> > for wide variation in what is displayed -- nothing is set in stone. 
> > All of the markup is vague and open-ended and the browser is free to do
> > whatever it likes and the enduser is allowed wide latitude in
> > configuring almost everything from fonts to screen/window size and
> > resolution. In order to preserve the 'intended display, the word
> > processor must use lots of 'torturous' HTML to attempt to force the
> > proper display.
> 
> Isn't that ideal? Funnily enough, that's how most word processors work
> these days, at least in the hands of people that actually know how to
> use them instead of that merely think they do. The evidence of this
> is that every real word processor these days includes the ability to
> mark up text exactly like HTML does, and the magic ability to redefine
> the styles associated with the classes of text, exactly like cascading
> style sheets do. The issue is an astronomical percentage of people
> using Word never touch the things and do all that kind of stuff by
> hand instead. Which doesn't make the HTML output of Word any better.
> When used properly, Word doesn't generate HTML much worse than any
> bottom-rack, one-semester-of-experience HTML "designer". When given an
> elaborate document created by the average typist-turned-electronic
> keyboard jockey, that turns into a complete mess. But that's not (all)
> Word's fault. There's just a lot more idiots using Word to create HTML
> output that there are using LibreOffice to create HTML.

The problem is mostly the fault of the WYSIWYG editer / user-interface.
It makes it way too easy to use 'visual design' (which is bad), rather
than 'logical design' (which is good).  Document preparation systems
like LaTeX *separate* the editor function from the generation function.
This forces one to use logical design, which results in cleanly
formatted documents (and if generating HTML, clean and simple HTML).

> 

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller@deepsoft.com
Deepwoods Software        -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
()  ascii ribbon campaign -- against html e-mail
/\  www.asciiribbon.org   -- against proprietary attachments


                                                                                                          

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anyone know of RTF translator? Michael Joel <no@please.com> - 2011-12-19 19:06 -0500
  Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2011-12-19 20:05 -0500
    Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Derek Turner <frderek@cesmail.net> - 2011-12-20 13:07 +0000
      Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-12-20 09:19 -0600
      Re: anyone know of RTF translator? crankypuss <no@email.thanks> - 2011-12-22 03:16 -0700
    Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2011-12-20 21:15 +0000
      Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2011-12-20 17:14 -0500
      Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-12-20 16:16 -0600
        Re: anyone know of RTF translator? "Peter H. Coffin" <hellsop@ninehells.com> - 2011-12-21 08:59 -0600
          Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-12-21 10:36 -0600
          Re: anyone know of RTF translator? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2011-12-21 17:04 +0000
  Re: anyone know of RTF translator? Michael Joel <no@please.com> - 2011-12-20 12:40 -0500
    Re: anyone know of RTF translator? tony@mountifield.org (Tony Mountifield) - 2011-12-20 17:50 +0000

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