Re: lynx-dev lynx2.8.2dev.19 patch #6 (em dash = --)

[Klaus Weide]

On Tue, 16 Mar 1999, Philip Webb wrote:

> 990316 Klaus Weide wrote: 
> > my reservation about alway &emsp -> " " (two spaces)
> -- SIC: was that too hasty for `always   -> "  " (two spaces)' ? --

Yes - good thing I added error-detection redundancy...

> > is mostly that this is another step in a direction I don't want:
> > to give authors more detailed layout control than is good for us.
> > Some author thinks an     makes something "look better"
> > in their GUI browser; should Lynx try to follow along, or should it
> > just try to render the "meaning" (whatever *that* means) of documents?
>  
> this is a fundamental issue which deserves proper debate,
> but perhaps not here & now: rather at a W3C conference.

There's W3C policies (I guess), and then there a things that are
out of scope for that.  I don't thing the W3C would want to set policy
for how exactly Lynx should display   in each context.

> the point is that the current apparently official policy is confused
> -- yet again -- , in that it says both:
> `authors should not attempt to determine physical layout of documents'
> & `browsers should always follow the specs';

Only browsers that claim to follow the specs need to follow the
specs, of course.

> there's also: `authors can always use <PRE> blocks',
> which if taken literally is an invitation to use <PRE> everywhere.
> 
> Lynx (or any browser) must either try to do what the author wants
> -- insofar as it can interpret that from the HTML --
> or draw up its own set of stylistic rules to impose on documents
> or leave an undefined gap with a potential mess on the screen.
> in practice, Lynx mostly follows the author's apparent intentions,
> while retaining a few pedantic fetishes,
> eg collapsing <BR>'s & wasting  3 spaces  at the left-hand margin.

I disagree with "in practice, Lynx mostly follows...".  In practice,
Lynx makes makes its own determination of whether to accomodate the
author on a case by case basis.  For example, we don't automatically
follow "Refresh:" (so-called) redirections, although that is certainly
what authors want, for some (IMO, good) reasons.

"Wasting 3 spaces" has nothing to do with the rest of this, afaics.
Change DefaultStyle.c to suit your taste and see whether you come up
with something better.  If you do, consider submitting a patch.

> unlike KW (smile), i would prefer Lynx to do its best to present documents
> as their author intended, insofar as that is possible.

Apparently I don't trust authors' tastes as much as you do, especially
when most of them have probably never heard of any non-GUI browsers.
I am sometimes quite happy that lynx doesn't attempt to guess authors'
intentions more.

> most authors are sloppy & lazy, but a few try to be neat & readable
> & they should be encouraged, just as we try to encourage rational HTML.

Thoses authors' pages most likey don't depend on whether &emsp; shows
up as one fixed-width space or two.

[ rant snipped - agree with characterization of W3C ]

  Klaus