Maintaining, HTML, Word, RTF, Conversions, & fluff

[Paul M. Kippes]

At least two in our ranks have commented about Microsoft Word 9's export 
(File Save As. . . ) to HTML feature adding extra fluff.  I've looked at 
the files in question (specifically vfaq.html) and, yes, there is quite a 
bit of fluff-o-la in there.  But more on this in a bit. . . .

More importantly, how do we want to handle updates in the future?  Is there 
a desire to directly edit the final HTML files (once they are 
completed)?  Or do we need to maintain the "source" document and edit those 
instead?  Or do we want to edit an interim HTML file without the copyright, 
header, footer, and parchment?  Or perhaps a combination of formats?

The main reason I ask is triggered by looking at the source of the vfaq 
file.  It literally is horrendous to make sense of it with all of the 
Microsoft style references and meta data that Word stored in there.  As it 
stands, this file would be tedious to maintain in the future and add new 
VFAQs to.  I know Neil used the conversion tools he had available which is 
understandable and we forgive him.

Finally, the link I posted this last weekend on that nifty PIPER program 
does table conversions as well.  In my opinion, the HTML output that is 
generated by this program is superior to what Word can do.  (I don't think 
I ever explicitly indicated that this program requires RTF--rich transfer 
file format--which all versions of MS Word support.)  So if there are FAQs 
that have tables and tables are, in fact, the best way to present the data, 
then a case can be made to use this utility to do the conversion.

As a side note, I don't believe the Word-->RTF-->HTML conversion (with 
minimal fluff) is that big of a deal.  But each time the conversion (using 
the utility I'm recommending) is performed, the HTML file must still be 
changed a little bit.  I would think that if future modifications edit the 
HTML files directly, this would be the easiest for the group as a 
whole.  Especially since this means that no "special utilities" would be 
required.

Now I know I have strong opinions about certain things.  So if I'm 
overstepping my bounds just transfer this to the "Ya right" file.

Paul