The DocsWare pages were designed to be viewed in an HTML 2 compliant browser, in an 800*600 pixel video mode with 16-bit or deeper colour, using a 96dpi font (preferably Helvetica 12-point), with the browser full screen, on a monitor with a 14 inch diagonal viewable area (but they should look fine on just about anything). True NetScapisms were avoided as much as possible, so these pages should render fairly accurately on most commonly available viewers. ActiveX and other MS-unique content was also avoided for the same reasons. Java is also avoided, mostly because I have not had the time to learn it. Also, you may not have noticed, since most browsers do not tell you, but the DocsWare pages to not use cookies or any similar technology for tracking those who view them.

There are rather few graphics on the DocsWare pages because I am rather sick of seeing sites with 500KB GIFs as the entire intro page, except that these sites usually have a text copyright notice at the bottom (thanks to Digital Equipment Corporation for making this point so absurdly well). The DocsWare pages are designed with the basic philosophy that anything worth saying can be said in black and white, and that pictures should be used primarily for trim or to save lengthy explanations (the background is one of several small JPEG files, which should load very quickly). Also that they load reasonably quickly is a nice side effect, isn't it?

There are no cookies, active content, or web bugs on the DocsWare site.

The DocsWare pages are a blink free zone (except for the rest of this paragraph). This is because so many people put text and other stuff you need to know in blinking mode that if you just scan through the page it is hard to see, and if you do notice it when the text is there and not gone, it is hard to read before it disappears again! I really wish people would stick to blinking pictures of LEDs or something instead of this sort of garbage. I admit this was overkill, but I did want to make my point, and I think I probably did so. Sorry.

After a little looking around and piddling with HTML editors, the entire page design was done using an old version of QEdit (yes, a text editor). The whole HTML editor idea seemed a bit clunky after a while. Besides, many HTML editors seem to make the output only work properly in that company's browser, so there is little point.

We are not accepting bids for people redoing this web site. Please do not bother sending us spam about your web design services. If we decide to investigate having an outside contractor maintain these pages, anybody who has spammed us about their services will NOT be considered.

Many thanks to the fine people at db Technology, for without their help, these pages would not exist. Also, thanks to the handful of people who helped improve these pages with their myriad useful suggestions.

The old background background image for the DocsWare pages was a rendering of the word DocsWare using a character set from J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books. See appendix E of The Lord of the Rings for information about the Tengwar characters. These particular characters are rendered using a PostScript font by Daniel Steven Smith.

You can go to the DocsWare definitions page by clicking here.

You can return to the DocsWare homepage by clicking here.

This page maintained by Zac Schroff.

© Copyright 1996-2006 Zac Schroff, all rights reserved.