2 Jun
2005
2 Jun
'05
5:07 p.m.
From: "Tony Duell" <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 5:49 PM
<snip>
Some of the
attitudes here about PDF impress me as about the most
ludditical
(is there such a word?) as I've seen in a long time.
I dislike the PDF format, probably always will. For a long time I
couldn't read it at all, in fact none of my machines can now. My parents
have an old Mac that than display most PDF files (if I can get them onto
the machine, which is non-trivial), or I look in the local internet cafe,
which is not convenient either
Suppose you have a CompuPro memory card and no manual. The card is
useless.
I give you the PDF file of the manual. You can look at the manual
on-screen, or you can print it and you HAVE the hard copy manual. In
color,
Well, it takes me 5 minutes per page to print it (most of the time is
transfering the bitmap to the printer over localtalk). For any reasonable
manual, it'll probably take at least a day to print it.
And in that time I could probably have worked out how to use a memory
card. It can't be that complicated. I have the S100 pinout to hand. I
have pinouts of all common ICs to hand. I could trace out enough of the
schematic in a day to know how to set the addressing jumpers, etc.
-tony
I have plenty of S100 memory boards that would take more than a day to
figure out without a manual. Many boards use programmable logic devices
where you can't tell what they do by looking at them. I have several
MacroTech RAM cards that would take days to figure out but only take minutes
with a manual (they have around 30 jumpers spread around the boards).
The point to a PDF document is that for almost everyone with a computer on
this planet they can view the document on the screen.
PDF's being posted by people like myself is not meant to please everyone, I
am happy knowing I help some.
We should make a list of what users are unable to view PDF's, starting with
Tony how many others have no practical method of viewing a PDF or a friend
with a compatible system?
Randy
www.s100-manuals.com