| (apologies for the formatting garbage.. )
From: US1RMC::"[email protected]" "Richard Foyle" 21-DEC-1995 12:28:46.80
To: tnpubs::icenogle
CC:
Subj: UNIX online help viewers
Kathy,
Here is the comparison you requested for HYPERHELP and Frameviewer. I'm sen=
ding this directly to you, since I don't want people to misunderstand my in=
tentions on posting it to a newsgroup.
If you would like to put my response out there, that's fine with me. Conta=
ct me if I could be of any help (no pun intended).
Regards,
Rich Foyle
=20
************************************************************************
WHAT IS HYPERHELP:
HyperHelp=99 On-Line Help for UNIX
HyperHelp is the industry standard for context-sensitive on-line help for U=
NIX and OpenVMS. It is based on the most popular on-line help system in the=
world - Microsoft=AE Windows=AE WinHelp!
HyperHelp 5.0 is the Motif equivalent of the Microsoft Windows 95 Help (Win=
Help 4.0) system. HyperHelp can use the same RTF, project, and bitmap file=
s as Microsoft Windows Help, thus allowing for single source help files and=
cross-platform consistency in look-and-feel. If you are not involved in an=
y cross-platform development and have no interest in the Microsoft Windows =
help system, HyperHelp still provides the shortest, and easiest path to on-=
line help development in the UNIX and OpenVMS industry.
WHAT IS FRAMEVIEWER:
FrameViewer by Frame Technology, is a hypertext, electronic document viewin=
g system, well-suited for WYSIWYG viewing of medium-to-large, frequently ch=
anging documents created using FrameMaker. It=92s most common use is for pr=
oviding distibuted access to information like catalogs, financial reports,=
price lists, etc.
FrameMaker documents can contain hypertext links which allow users to navig=
ate a document in the same format as one would navigate printed material. W=
hen information changes very often, like daily or weekly, FrameViewer can b=
e used as the viewing mechanism instead of printing hardcopy for each revis=
ion.
Although FrameViewer uses hypertext technology like HyperHelp, it=92s not w=
ell-suited for context-sensitive on-line help in the same fashion as WinHel=
p.
HyperHelp versus FrameViewer
=09=09
Feature / Description=09HyperHelp=09FrameViewer
=09=09
Hypertext Jumps -=09Yes - with colored hotspots=09Yes
Pop-Up Definitions -=09Yes - with colored hotspots=09No
Rich Macro Language -=09Yes=09No
Authoring File Formats Supported -=09RTF, MIF, HHT & SGML=09FrameMaker MIF =
Format
APIs Supported=09- WinHelp API (Industry-accepted)=09FrameServer RPC
Annotations Supported -=09Yes=09No
Bookmarks - =09Yes=09No
History -=09Yes=09No
Keyword Searching -=09Yes=09No
Indexed Full-Text Search -=09Yes - Across multiple files=09No - normal text=
search only
File Open Dialog -=09Yes=09Yes
Authorable, Depressable Buttons -=09Yes=09No
Customizable Menu & Button Bars -=09Yes=09No
Customizable Floating Menu -=09Yes=09No
Secondary Windows -=09Yes=09No
WYSIWYG Printing -=09Yes=09Yes
Print to File -=09Yes=09Yes
Automatic Secondary Window Size -=09Yes=09No
Scrolling & Non-Scrolling Regions - =09Yes=09No - scrolling only
Definable File Compression Levels -=09Yes=09No
Adjustable Font Display Size -=09Yes - also includes zoom=09No - zoom only
Two-Way Application Communication with Help System -=09Yes=09No
Windows Compatible Source Files -=09Yes=09No
Predefined Browse Sequences -=09Yes=09No
Extendable with DLLs -=09Yes=09No
Embedded Windows -=09Yes=09No
Dynamic Text Display -=09Yes=09Yes
Platform Availability -=09All major UNIX & OpenVMS=09All major UNIX, Window=
s & Mac
Graphical Table of Contents -=09Yes=09No - text-based only
A factual Comparison
HyperHelp can also be used for viewing of on-line documentation created by =
FrameMaker. If documentation is being created for the release of a software=
product, HyperHelp can provide context-sensitive help for that application=
. HyperHelp adds the capability to provide pop-up definitions and secondary=
windows, which increases the reference information displayed on-line. It a=
lso contains a rich macro language to execute other applications, perform u=
ser functions, or simply change the appearance of the HyperHelp Viewer.
Users can create bookmarks and annotations with HyperHelp to make the infor=
mation even more personalized and clearer.
In the comparison below, you will find that FrameViewer=92s strength is in =
distributing documentation that changes daily or weekly, but when you need =
to deliver on-line help with an application, or documentation that does not=
constantly require updating, then HyperHelp is still the best choice!
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Rich Foyle Makers of:
Bristol Technology Inc. Wind/U
241 Ethan Allen Highway Xprinter
Ridgefield, CT 06877 HyperHelp
Phone: (203) 438-6969 ForeHelp
Fax: (203) 438-5013 [email protected]
Date: 12/21/95 http://www.bristol.com
Time: 12:40:17
"All men are equal when their memory fades."
-Lemmy Kilmeister
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
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Thu, 21 Dec 95 12:01:27 ES
% Date: Thu, 21 Dec 95 12:43:09 PST
% From: Richard Foyle <[email protected]>
% Subject: UNIX online help viewers
% To: tnpubs::icenogle
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|
| The attached analysis does a great job of articulating
why certain differences exist in online viewers...
Personally, I have found this analysis very helpful
in understanding and responding to customer/client
requirements for developing a viewer strategy.
Kathy
From: BOOKIE::GENT "A hundred drums are being beaten within our
hearts, the roar of which we shall hear tomorrow -- Rumi" 2-DEC-1994 12:08:43.55
To: TERSE::ICENOGLE
CC:
Subj: comparison of online viewers
From: BOOKIE::GENT "Resist much, obey little -- Walt Whitman"
21-JUN-1994 15:28:26.33
To: XIRTLU::TOMC
CC: GENT
Subj: draft comparison of various online viewers as help systems
Intro
When I thought about how to compare online viewers, my first
instinct was to start with the labels most often applied to the
viewers. That is not to say that the labels are completely accurate
or that the viewers can't be used for multiple purposes. However,
their primary goals strongly influence every aspect of the viewer,
from the specific features they support to the physical layout of
the user interface.
Primary Purpose
So, let's first look at how several popular viewers describe themselves:
Mosaic
Mosaic is a network document browser. Mosaic's primary target is
large collections of loosely connected and geographically dispersed
information.
Mosaic is very good for creating links between diverse information
sources in multiple formats. On the other hand, Mosaic is not very
strict about validating those connections or providing navigational
capabilities within a single document (search, structural views,
etc.).
WorldView
WorldView is an online document viewer. WorldView's primary target
is large collections of technical information.
WorldView concentrates on providing robust navigation within a pre-
defined set of information (a collection), including validated
links and full-text searching. WorldView also provides production-
quality printing capabilities. On the other hand, links beyond the
pre-defined set are very limited.
Acrobat
Acrobat is an online document viewer. Acrobat's primary target is
large collections of small to medium-sized documents.
Acrobat supports validated links within a single document, as well
as full-text indexing (in an upcoming release) and production-
quality printing. On the other hand, links to other documents or
contexts (such as application invocation) are limited or non-
existant.
WinHelp & HyperHelp
WinHelp and its relatives (such as HyperHelp) are online help
viewers. WinHelp's primary target is help information for software
applications.
WinHelp supports validated links within a document. It also
supports links to other documents or other applications. However,
these external links are not validated until runtime. WinHelp
provides limited printing capability (printing per topic), but does
support numerous navigational mechanisms (a table-of-contents
topic, a history list, forwards and backwards browsing, and keyword
search; full-text search is supported on NT and Motif).
CDE Viewer
CDE Viewer is an online help viewer. CDE Viewer's primary target is
help information for software applications.
CDE Viewer provides links within a document, to external documents,
and to applications. I am not sure whether these links are
validated prior to runtime. The CDE Viewer also supports printing,
keyword searches, an automated hierarchical view of the document's
structure (i.e. table-of-contents), and a history list.
The Requirements of Online Help
The next step is to compare the viewers to the requirements for the
task. In this particular case, the task is presenting online help
for software applications. There are essentially four features that
an online viewer needs to provide. They are:
1. The ability to present information
2. The ability to link information
3. The ability to find information
4. The ability to invoke and dismiss the viewer
Note that the last feature is the only one specific to help.
However, all four requirements have corellaries that are specific
to help.
1. The Ability to Present Information
All of the viewers have the ability to present information.
WorldView and Acrobat present the information exactly as it would
be printed, including all formatting and pagination. As a result,
they provide almost all of the standard features of production
authoring systems, e.g. complex formatting such as tables, syntax
diagrams, etc.
WinHelp holds the middle ground by preserving much of the
formatting but allowing certain attributes to be altered
dynamically. For example, WinHelp is not page-oriented, so the
information is presented in a stream with the left and right
margins being altered dynamically as the user changes the window
size.
Mosaic and CDE Viewer have very limited data sets (neither supports
tables or syntax diagrams directly). Although it is possible to
emulate more complex information types via literal text or figures,
the only information types directly supported by these viewers are
headings, paragraphs, lists, and images. Mosaic extends this data
set by supporting any data type through external viewers. (For
example, if you wish to include a movie in your document, you
simply create a link to the "movie" data file and, if there is a
suitable viewer available, that viewer is invoked to display the
information.)
All of the viewers support the display of linked information in the
current window or a new window. The CDE Viewer and Winhelp also
support popup windows for definitions etc.
2. The Ability to Link Information
This is the area where the viewers diverge the most. All of the
viewers allow the author to create links to other information, but
the viewers vary significantly in:
- The scope of the information that can be linked
- The amount of validation that is provided to the author
concerning the links
- The type of information that can be linked
Mosaic lets you create a link to information anywhere on the
network. In fact, it is as easy (if not easier) to link to another
document around the world than to another location in the same
document. The deficit of this global linking capability is that
none of the links (whether external or internal to the current
document) are validated until they are invoked by the user.
On the other hand, WorldView and Acrobat provide linking
capabilities within a clearly defined set of information (for
WorldView, the collection; for Acrobat, a single document). These
internal links are validated when the document is created. Links to
external documents or collections are allowed, however they are not
validated. In the case of WorldView, an external link does not
change the context of the viewer either. Consequently, external
links are of limited usefulness for these viewers.
WinHelp and the CDE Viewer do validate internal links when the
documents are created as well as providing external links (to other
documents or applications) within the current computing environment
(assumed to be a single system). However, the external links are
not validated until runtime.
3. The Ability to Find Information
There are a number of different mechanisms possible to assist users
in finding information. Some of the most common are:
- A top-level topic, variously called an index, table-of-
contents, overview, etc.
- Keyword search
- Text search
- Full-text search
- A history list (for returning to previously viewed topics)
Testing of help systems has shown that access to these features are
critical to the usability of the help.
Mosaic
Provides a top-level topic (the home page) and a history list
that are directly accessible from the user interface (using the
left-most buttons on the viewer window).
Mosaic also provides text search. However, this feature is not as
easy to access since it is buried under the File menu.
WorldView
World View documents do not have a top-level topic as such.
WorldView documents can have tables-of-contents. However, the
table-of-contents is a topic like any other and there is no
direct UI support for invoking it.
On the other hand, WorldView does provide extensive search
capabilities, including text search, full-text search, and
keyword search (i.e. index). The first two are directly
accessible from window buttons and clearly marked menus. The
index is not as easily found since it, like the TOC, is a
regular topic and has no direct UI support.
WorldView has a history list, which is accessible from menus
and may be directly from a window button (I
Acrobat
Acrobat documents do not have a top-level topic, unless it is
the first page. Acrobat, like WorldView, provides text search
and full-text search in the upcoming release. There is also a
history list. The text search, full-text search, and history
list features are all available directly from the window UI.
Winhelp
Winhelp provides a top-level topic ("contents") that is
directly accessible from the UI. Winhelp also provides keyword
search. It does not, in the Windows version, provide either
text or full-text search. (This is a serious limitation of the
WinHelp viewer from a usability standpoint.) However, the
Motif and NT variants of WinHelp do provide full-text search
directly accessible from the UI.
CDE Viewer
The CDE Viewer provides[...]
4. The Ability to Invoke and Dismiss the Viewer
Finally, applications need the ability to invoke and dismiss the
viewer. Part of the invocation is specifying the topic that should
be displayed first (for context-sensitive help).
[end of draft]
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