I've recently thought what file type should I use to publish content on Gemini if gemtext is not sufficient. First one that comes to mind is PDF but I really like ODT (from LibreOffice). I actually like to use LibreOffice to make some rich documents. I was using latex in the past but I was missing seeing the final document form without any compilation on extra steps. It is important for storing notes or recipes. Compiling documents to see the output seems cumbersome for me.
I’m actually typing this post in LibreOffice too. It has character counter, spell check etc.
So, what’s your thought on ODF’s formats?
4 months ago · 👍 arubes
I guess given what you've said ODT or PDF make sense. I'm loathed to say it but for consistent looks on all platforms I'd probably opt for PDF. · 4 months ago
@drh3xx yes those formats are quite bloated, there are better ones but they are quite niche and/or requires extra steps to view them in user-friendly form. I'm thinking about ODF's or PDF's because I think most of potential readers will have viewer already installed on their system.
I think gemtext is ideal as-is and I don't want it to change as Gemini protocol have explicit support for mimetypes, so if you want markdown like formating – use markdown, why complicate things?
So, I'm thinking about what to use in case when I need something more than gemtext. Preferably something that will just open in already installed viewer when reader click on link. · 4 months ago
I like the idea of ODF's in that it's open and can therefore be used on many platforms to collaborate (if devs add support). What I'm not a fan of is the whole trend of modern document formats in general including the ODF's and Microsofts proprietary Office formats. Bloating up docs with loads of markup and often unnecessary metadata then hiding that by wrapping it all up as an archive with a whole heirarchy of files and folders within. K.I.S.S. formats they ain't and why a heavy leaning toward XML and XML namespace URI's to God knows where? · 4 months ago
write everything in groff 👍👍👍👍👍 (joke) · 4 months ago