WWW, html, gif

[Mike Beyries <beyries -at- CSISDN -dot- COM>]

To: Dixie_L_Crockford~%WHC188 -at- pnl -dot- gov and TECHWR-L

Dixie and others interested in WWW home pages,

I started with some marketing literature (two 2-page datasheets with
pretty dense, technical text) that we built using Word for Windows 2.0.
I exported these as RTF (Rich Text Format) files. I then used an ASCII
editor (later used html-assistant, but that's really just an ASCII editor
with macros for the markup) to change the RTF markup into html markup.

This process could be semi-automated (i.e., with a set of search-and-
replace macros) but the resulting files would always need tweaking. I've
done this before, in translations from one markup language (TeX) to
another (a proprietary one).

For the graphics, I have a process that works, sort of:
     1) redesign the CorelDRAW graphics to fit, and size the text labels
        bigger. using a pen width of at least .014"
     2) either (a) export the file as a TIFF (my Corel doesn't export GIF),
        or (b) use a screen capture utility on the print preview image to
        get .GIF/.BMP
     3) call up the .TIF or .GIF in PC Tools (from Central Point S/W)
        File Viewer utility, size it if necessary, and save as .GIF
     4) relocate the .GIF file to the WWW server and reference it
        from the html file (as an imbedded graphic or a hyper-link)

I'd like to hear more about others' experiences, too.

One of the other pieces I put online is a large (150 entry) glossary
of ISDN/Telecomm terms (was a manual appendix). I have started placing links
to this from our marketing stuff -- so folks can look up the acronyms
or technical terms as they encounter them. I think this is a good use
of hypertext.

Regards,
Mike Beyries  (beyries -at- csisdn -dot- com)             - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Documentation, SQA, Development Support       | Life can only be understood  |
Located at Connective Strategies, Inc.        | backwards, but it must be    |
Mountain View, California, U.S.A.             | lived forwards.              |
Phone 415-903-8382 (ISDN) or -2589            |           -- Kierkegaard     |
   Probably *not* CSI's corporate opinion !    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

P.S. Dixie, my mail to you bounced back twice.