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Subject:Re: PDF v paper From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:53:08 -0800
>There is a real answer to that question, and it deals with the difference
>between generations of adult learners. My generation (baby boomers) and
>those older than I were trained to from a sheet of paper, with the book as
>the ultimate learning device. The "flow" of a book is comfortable for us
>and there is an holistic relationship between the words on a page and the
>pages in a book. Reading from a screen is disjointed and does not permit
>the same flow as a book.
<snip>
>Younger generations are more accustomed to the monitor and to seeing
>information scroll along, so "reading" information and learning from PDFs
>on screen is much easier.
Bullpuckie! ;-)
IMO, one of PDF's shortcomings is that it emulates a book rather than
take advantage of the capabilities of the medium on which it sits. I'm
***old*** and I have no problems following threads of thought through
hyperspace, thankkewverymuch.
Text on screen is more difficult to read than text on paper for everybody.
Firstly, light is emitted, not reflected. Shining a bright light in a pair
of eyes, no matter what their age, makes them tire more quickly than if
they were looking at light reflected off a piece of paper. Secondly, when
we print to paper, we use resolutions of 300, 600, or 1200 dpi and OH!
there's heck to pay if even the slightest jagged line presents itself.
The computer screen offers resolutions of between 72 and 130 dpi, and so
we dither, thinking that making things blurry will fool the eye into
thinking they're crisp. HA!
Young eyes may be capable of taking more abuse than old eyes. That doesn't
mean that they don't suffer.
