16.1.4 Evaluating
Microsoft HTML Help
HTML
Help from Microsoft does a thorough job, even though it is slow and has
numerous defects.
Some disadvantages:
- Your
users cannot access compiled HTML Help on a network drive; the CHM file
must be local.
- HTML
Help does not perform exactly as documented. Some features are missing,
others have defects, and the software is no longer being maintained.
- HTML
Help requires Internet Explorer 4.x or a later version. HTML Help
uses most of the guts of Internet Explorer, which opens the user’s
system to numerous security hazards via ActiveX features.
- The
compressed .chm files
can be used only on Windows systems, not on Macintosh or UNIX, because
the Java applet is poorly implemented. This is the main reason other
Help-authoring-tool vendors use their own proprietary Java applets to
provide a tri-pane window and search functionality, which you need for
cross-platform applications.
- Pop-ups
are just plain text: no font variations appear at all, not even bold
or italic.
- Opening
Context Sensitive Help the first time can be very slow.
On Windows 2000, Microsoft itself gets
around the last two problems by using WinHelp for Context Sensitive Help
and pop-ups, HTML Help for the rest.
Previous Topic:
16.1.3 Evaluating
Microsoft Windows Help (WinHelp)
Next Topic:
16.1.5 Evaluating
WebHelp
Parent Topic:
16.1 Weighing
Help-system alternatives
Sibling Topics:
16.1.1 Considering
Help-system features
16.1.2 Understanding
the effects of mid-topic links
16.1.3 Evaluating
Microsoft Windows Help (WinHelp)
16.1.5 Evaluating
WebHelp
16.1.6 Evaluating
OmniHelp
16.1.7 Evaluating
JavaHelp and Oracle Help for Java
16.1.8 Evaluating
Eclipse Help
Table of Contents • Index