Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinH
And you need to worry that you are linking to the top of a "printed" page and not the word itself which may appear no where on the actual screen as that "printed page" will generally be much longer than the screen holds. So it will just get them close at best.
In many ways, a good search function replaces the need for indexes almost completely.
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Well, yes and no. Of course, I always use the exact same argument when attempting to dissuade clients from insisting on index inclusion.
But... Whereas searching is
active, it presupposes you know exactly what you are searching for, whereas you might not always know what you don't know.
An Index, otoh, has done this work for you, and then some. A good index will have collated different locations pertaining to the way "angular momentum" pertains to "diesel engines," for example. (Not even sure that that is a thing, but allow me the liberty.)
This passive searching allows for a deeper sense of discovery in books that are more encyclopedic in scope.
Not relevant to the vast majority of books that reaches our devices, I would be the first to agree, but in some cases, very much a desirable addition.