Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
I do see where Prestidigitweeze is coming from. The problem is that PDF is useless in most cases. You cannot make just one PDF for all situations. It just doesn't work.
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It doesn't have to work for all situations, or even most situations. The point is that if the designer needs a high level of control over the layout, PDF is the best current option.
Most ebook readers support PDF, thus his request is basically already fulfilled.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by JSWolf
What's needed is a format (or extend ePub) that allows more formatting options for more advanced formatting that also allows font size changing and reflowing on a variety of screen sizes. PDF reflow is a mess.
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That's not going to help much. A document with a highly specific layout can't efficiently reflow at all.
Consider the example from Derrida's
Glas that he linked, here's a page in English translation:
There's absolutely no way that a modified version of ePub, mobi or any other ebook-oriented format will properly render that text properly in most situations. As long as you allow reflow, user modification of font sizes, and/or try to show it on a small screen, the layout will be destroyed -- along with the author's intent to use typography and layout as part of his commentary on margins, marginalized views, textual interplay etc.
Of course, I wouldn't object to an updated spec that improves layout, but that isn't going to solve the fundamental issue posed by using a highly structured layout in a medium where the end-users will have variable parameters.
In contrast, PDF is not perfect but it can preserve complex layouts, like the example above or poetry journals.