May points in telling people how paragraphs might simply be delt with were
based on practical considerations not what would actually be best for
everyone. I am concerned that the bookshare system has to be taken in to
consideration--not only bookshare's members. Tabs at the beginning of
paragraphs would be perfect if only the system useed them. A tab means
indent some amount of space, but leaves the exact amount of space to indent
or move up to the software seening it. That would mean that there would be
two spaces in braille and 5 in print, and for audio readers there would be
a nice unambiguous tab character. Unfortunately we don't have that option
as a solution.
I hope that we have another solution, which would be the bookshare system
desiding how something should be displayed in DAISY, HTML, and BRF so we
don't have to make sloppy compromises. If the bookshare system properly
delt with paragraph symbols, which exist in all but plain text files, then
the format a person downloaded would be formatted correctly for that form
of presentation. The braille translation software should know enough to
indent 2 spaces for every paragraph because that is how it is properly done
in braille. For presentation on the screen it should use either a blank
line, which would probably be best for the electronic form, or it should
use a 5 space indent. I think a blank line is used in HTML, but I'm not
sure that it is in the DAISY file. All I know is that Kurzweil doesn't
displlay blank lines in the DAISY files I open from bookshare.
Another issue is that nothing can be perfect for everyone because the way
something should be formatted for hard copy braille is not really the same
is the perfect format for a BRF that is being shown on a braille display.
Again the best thing is for the books just to have a paragraph indication
that the device reading it can identify so the user can specify how they
would like it shown on the display.
I guess what I am trying to say is that people need to stop asking what is
wanted for a minute and check out what is currently being done. Wishful
thinking isn't going to get us anywhere. Now if you can define the issues
you think bookshare files have in each format, then you can write to the
list, and possibly to bookshare's staff, with suggestions on how to improve
it. Only then can we decide what work should be done by validators to make
books ideal. Hopefully they will have to do very little to make books come
out wonderfully.
Please help me and bookshare by downloading something from the collection
that you either submitted or validated and compare the copy from bookshare
with your original. If possible look at both the BRF and the DAISY.
Notice what formatting of the original has been maintained and what has
been lost. When you think you can clearly and unemotionally discribe what
you have observed, share that information with the list.
I have tried to write a tip on characters that do and don't work for the
bookshare system and have pput it on Jake's site. I can't guarantee that I
really knew enough, but I tried. Now I would love help in seeing about
formatting that does and does not work. You can also share any other
oddnesses you discover. And please correct me if I was wrong about any
point I have written about.
Sarah Van Oosterwijck
Assistive Technology Trainer
http://home.earthlink.net/~netentity
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