Re: @ if html uref suggestion

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 14:53:18 +0100 (CET)
> From: Marc Herbert <address@hidden>
> 
>  Maybe you did not understand me. I am not talking about automatic URL
> truncating, but rather about a functionality that would allow writers
> to optionally and manually provide an alternative and shorter URL for
> paper outputs than for HTML anchor targets.

That's what I understood you were asking for.  I'm questioning the
usefulness of such a feature.

>  It may be quicker for the *paper* reader with her mittens to type a
> short URL and then access the child page by clicking. She will
> naturally know where to look for the right child page(s) thanks to the
> context provided in the rest of the document.

A shortened URL will only work if there are clearly visible links from
the parent page all the way to the target page.  Many times, these
links either don't exist or are hard to spot, because the text of the
links is not unequivocal enough.  Personally, I really get pissed off
when I find out that a URL in a document is incorrect or inaccurate.

> But long URLs in text are IMHO a
> bad thing anyway. First I find them ugly, typographically speaking,
> and then they take too much time to type. 

Note that the feature you are asking for doesn't save any typing: you
type both the long URL *and* the short one.

That said, I don't mind to add the feature if it is useful for
someone.  Please consider submitting a description of the feature for
the Texinfo manual with rationale for it; I think it won't be easy for
us to explain why it is needed.