Date: Tue, 18 Oct 1994 13:30:15 -0400 (EDT)
To: Craig O'Donnell
Cc: Rex Ballard , ace@tidbits.com,
online-news@marketplace.com
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Length: 1894
Status: RO
X-Status:
X-Lines: 40
On Mon, 26 Sep 1994, Craig O'Donnell wrote:
> Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves by assuming that what we're
> discussing is a custiom publication? (as much as that might be what I
> want). You've covered a lot of territory, but to mind the discusion is
> not about VT52 versus Motif -- or whatever...
Actually, this is part of the reality of electronic publishing. As an
electronic publisher, I have to deliver about 500 megabytes/month to many
people. I'm competing with Clarinet, Reuters, and several others who are
also putting out high quality products. Yes, the Journal and the Times
are part of the mix, but that's only about 10% of the entire product.
We also have about 30 different presentation products. What is best
depends on when the reader wants it and how he wants it. A cheap
scrolling reader can dump headlines down a scrolling screen. The reader
picks a headline he wants to read as it flashes. Better readers filter
the feed, store information in a server database, format stories for lotus
notes and other e-mail packages, provide query and retrieval capabilities.
Real-time feeds are a bit different than on-line newspapers. On the other
hand, when you can search an entire library worth of information in less
than 20 seconds for the 20 most relevant stories, it doesn't make sense to
browse from page one. Page one is more of a guide to the rest of the
newspaper. The home page of a publication should be the guide to
accessing the rest of the product.
The screen of a Windows display isn't bug enough to support a four column
full page of copy, unless you try using a 6 point font on a 1280x1024
display. The good news is that you can make interesting copy out of
stories that are not fit to print. If we printed everything we got, the
Wall Street Journal would look like the Manhattan telephone book every day.
Rex B.
(personal posting).
From jvncnet!marketplace.com!owner-online-news Wed Oct 19 10:30:25 1994