Re: Epub format Was: Re: Context to epub: itemize

[Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>]

On 2/17/2015 10:01 PM, Keith Schultz wrote:
>
>> Am 17.02.2015 um 21:16 schrieb Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl
>> <mailto:pragma@wxs.nl>>:
>>
>> On 2/17/2015 8:24 AM, Keith J. Schultz wrote:
>>> Hi Axel, All,
>>>
>>>
> [snip, snip]
>>> IMHO : ConTeXt should not output XHMTL for epub, but HMTL5.
>>> Yes, yes, I know XHMTL is part of HMTL5.
>>
>> And html 5 is just html with some extras (and assuming javascript i
>> guess) ... marketing.
> The html 5 standard is far more. For one is makes flash, java and more
> obsolete. Far more than a marketing gag!

well, if javascript is used instead it's still fluent ... every time i 
played with e.g. jquery or libraries i had to make sure i used the 
latest and had to adapt code .. there will be something new (and maybe 
even different) every decade (if only because that generates money)

>>> Another question for me is if ConTeXt should also output code for
>>> the iBooks epub format, (Basicaly epub, but some extras).
>>
>> Isn't a book supposed to be independent and kind of portable + long
>> term visible? So no way that a context epub will be specific for a
>> device. (I probably can't even get it on / test it on my outdated ipad
>> 1 anyway.)
> I was thinking more along the line of the spine.

ah, direct neural injection ...

>>> There are thing you can do in/with ConTeXt that would work with iBooks
>>> that do not in „ordinary“ epub books.
>>>
>>> Then, there is the Kindle format one might want to consider!
>>
>> Another lock-in device.
>>
>>> Another, question which needs investigation is if the ConTeXt output for
>>> epub,
>>> also, implementing the fallbacks for missing features which is required?
>>
>> Context outputs three varants: regular xml, xhtml, and stupified xhtml
>> with div/class tagging. The last one is supposed to work on all
>> devices as it doesn't demands anything beyond css.
> If that is the case it is not very useful for a decent workflow. There
> would be to much to
> tweak to make good looking output.

i'm not sure what you have in mind but context is a typesetting system 
and as such cannot produce an epub simply because epub is a blob of xml 
(html) with a css packages in a zip

> I have not investigated how it handles dimensions, widths, font sizes,
> spacing, etc.

structure normally doesn't carry that information

> These are important in order to create output that adjust proper to the
>          devices capabilities.
> One should avoid absolute values.

there are hardly any values output ... but one can of course extend the 
css with font and color directives, probably different from the ones 
used in the pdf

> Of course if we want to emulate the printed output then we could simply
> create a pdf or very page as pdf and put in an epub wrapper.

i've seen impressive examples of pdf turned html (huge html files btw)

(fyi: i see pdf and html as independent things)

(and i don't believe in reflow of pdf: it's either a design for made up 
pages or a flexible adaptive one as in html; and till now i never wished 
a paper book to reflow itself anyway but maybe if i really would use an 
epub device ... who knows ... i don't own ebooks currently as i cannot 
share docs freely then like i share books and i consider ebooks to be 
way too expensive for fun)

Hans


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                                           Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
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