[Doc-SIG] Issues with 2.1 doc PDF files

[Guido van Rossum]

[me]
> > I would surmise that for almost everybody, HTML wins big over PDF
> > onscreen, and PDF wins big over HTML for printing.  Soon, I bet we
> > won't have to distribute PostScript any more, because everyone can use
> > PDF for printing.

[MH]
> Well, if I were to print out the python docs anytime soon (I'm not)
> I'd definitely reach for the postscript.

Yeah, but you're lucky to have a PS capable printer.  Heck, you're
probably on Linux.  Most Windows and even many Mac users don't!  PDF
can be printed from anywhere.  Even if your printer talks PostScript,
on Windows it's a pain to figure out how to print a PS file!  AcroRead
does it for you with PDF.

> OTOH, I'd also probably build it locally.

Lucky you.  This may be news for you, but most Python users don't know
how to use those tools any more, even if they have access.  Python is
a success -- meaning it has lots of unsophisticated users!
(Unsophisticated in their hacking abilities, not in their
intelligence, for sure -- but people who don't want to waste time
figuring out how to do something that the computer should be able to
do without their help.)

> But as long as it's not much burden to have both,
> it's not that much of an issue.

Agreed.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)