Good points. In a message that crossed paths with yours, I granted that the current standard fits all situations, and is therefore most familiar. Perhaps it also adds credibility.
I would like to point out, though, that the argument about navigation is a stretch. Most books also feature running headers and footers that assist in navigation. You can easily navigate to the first page of the first chapter, but once you start looking for the first page of the *second* chapter, no numbering scheme helps. That is, no scheme works unless you use chapter-page numbering, which I do not like all that much. Your argument also assumes that one is reading a paper version of the book. In an online book, the reader might find it easier to go to a particular page with some command built into the reading software. *THAT* is where the problem really lies. In the text, the author refers to page 58. The reader uses the command to go to page 58, but the software is not aware that the first 10 pages of the file are numbered i-x. The jump to page 58 actually yields page 48! Joe Malin Technical Writer (408)625-1623 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.tuvox.com The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc. -----Original Message----- From: Stuart Rogers [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 12:46 PM Cc: Joe Malin; Framers (FrameMaker List) Subject: Re: Page Numbering Properties I disagree. From a writer's or publisher's perspective, you are correct that page numbering is no longer a technical or practical problem... But from a READER's perspective, separate (roman) numbering for front matter is valuable because it helps the reader navigate the book. If you're on page 81 and you want to turn to the first page of the first chapter, you turn to page 1 in a traditionally-numbered book. In your continuously numbered example, you either hunt at random, or hunt for the first page of the TOC and then hunt for page 19 or whatever it happens to be. Also, readers have simply come to expect that front matter will be numbered differently from the body of the book, and seeing a departure from that tradition simply detracts from the professional impression and/or credibility of the work. There's lots of examples of traditions in methods and naming that are technically outdated, yet still meaningful and useful. When was the last time you actually heard a phone "ring"? (And although you are cc'd in the address line, no "carbon" copies were harmed in the making of this message ;-) sr -- Stuart Rogers Technical Communicator Phoenix Geophysics Limited Toronto, ON, Canada +1 (416) 491-7340 x 325 srogers phoenix-geophysics com "Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." - Mark Twain Get Firefox! http://tinyurl.com/8q9c5 _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
