Re: RANDOMU bug (and HTML help)

[landsman(at)stars.gsfc.nasa.gov (Wayne Landsman)]

In article <7arrcv$a7$1@hammer.msfc.nasa.gov>, mallors@msfc.nasa.gov (Robert S. Mallozzi) writes... 
>From a message I received from RSI regarding IDL HTML help:
> 
>    "The IDL html help files were removed from the IDL 5.2 
>     distribution as a space-saving measure. They are considered 
>     to be redundant." 
> 
>It looks like we are stuck with the painfully slow "hyperhelp".

Under Solaris, the hyperhelp also has the occasional habit of crashing the 
system.

Another advantage of the html help files is that html is the easiest 
method of creating help files for user written procedures.    Thus one can
create links between the documentation for intrinsic and user-written
procedures, or create a search page that includes both intrinsic and user-written
procedures.    (I have a simple interface for the latter at  
http://idlastro.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/search_idl.cgi)

Finally html has the advantage of being a familiar interface (e.g. Netscape or
Explorer) across all systems, whereas I often find myself reading the help on
how to use the IDL hyperhelp.

--Wayne Landsman                                  landsman@mpb.gsfc.nasa.gov