[Olpc-open] Getting paper out of schools.

[Edward Cherlin]

On Sun, Sep 14, 2008 at 7:34 AM, Tom Potts
<tompotts at itsosbroadband.co.uk> wrote:
> On Sunday 14 September 2008 07:33, Edward Cherlin wrote:
>> On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 11:19 AM, Carol Lerche <cafl at msbit.com> wrote:
>> > This fixation on pdf includes olpc of course.
>>
>> This turns out not to be the case. The OLPC XO has a screen rotate
>> function specifically to support reading portrait-mode documents
>> full-screen.
>>
>> However, PDFs can be formatted to any page size or shape. I have
>> created landscape-mode documentation for products of large
>> corporations. It is true that most companies are lazy and hidebound
>> about such things, but it isn't Adobe's doing.
> But it is! - as you say you can set any size and shape - but (as far as I
> know) not free flowing like you can with HTML.

Sure you can. This is PostScript, a full-power programming language.
You can do anything computable.

Just make your document all one long page. Or multiple pages of
different lengths with hyperlinks.

I admit that you have to learn how to use your tools. Adobe doesn't
make this obvious, and PDF writers in page-oriented apps make it even
less obvious.

Here are some HTML-to-PDF conversion tools that preserve page layout
in the Web manner, and don't convert to fixed length pages.

http://www.html-to-pdf.net/
http://www.realobjects.com/Realobjects_Home.413.0.html
http://www.winnovative-software.com/

Google shows lots more. Some of these sites offer free online trials.
You upload some HTML files, and they e-mail you the PDF.

To do this in Open Office,

* Switch from Print Layout to Web Layout. (View menu).

* Set a custom page size long enough for your content. You can go back
and adjust this if you find your pages are too long for your settings.
But remember, people don't like scrolling overlong Web pages.
(Format>Page).

* Create content, inserting page breaks as needed.

* Create Web-style navigation links. Remember to provide
Back/Previous, Next, and Home links everywhere. (Insert>Hyperlink).

* Export to PDF.

Enjoy!


> The area of the screen I wish to view something in is not fixed. PDF does not
> suit my screen. I can make my screen suit PDF - but that is an inefficient
> way of working?
> Tom
>
>
>> > On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 11:07 AM, Tom Potts
>> > <tompotts at itsosbroadband.co.uk>
>> >
>> > wrote:
>> >> Wendy,
>> >>  The hardest thing about getting paper out of schools is most of the
>> >> software
>> >> they use is 'paper' based. Office, PDF's etc are all 'paper based' - say
>> >> A4
>> >> which is exactly the wrong way to fit on your computer screen so you
>> >> have to
>> >> print it!
>> >> Until people can be taught not to use 'paper' based formats things will
>> >> always
>> >> be printed - a bit of a vicious circle.
>> >> The answer is of course is html
>> >> a few ramblings at this link here
>> >> http://www.100297.itsosbroadband.co.uk/Paperless/The_Paperless_Office.ht
>> >>ml
>> >>
>> >> Tom
>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> Olpc-open mailing list
>> >> Olpc-open at lists.laptop.org
>> >> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-open
>> >
>> > --
>> > Americans always do the right thing, after trying everything else. --
>> > Winston Churchill
>> >
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>> > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-open
>
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