Help Engine Scorecard
Last updated: November 12, 1999
KAREN
MOBLEY
Carolina Chapter
In an effort to keep up with available help engine technology, Hyperviews:Online presents an ongoing feature: The Help Engine Scorecard. This scorecard tracks and compares the features of available help engine technology. If we do not have a help engine you have heard about, please contact us and we will add the information if you provide it, or we will try to determine the information if you cannot. We also welcome updates and corrections -- all we ask is that you cite your sources!
Please note that this scorecard tracks help engines, not help authoring tools (such as RoboHelp or ForeHelp).
| HTML Help | Jelp | JavaHelp | Oracle Help for Java | W3C HTML | WebHelp | WinHelp | IPF | |
| Software provider | Microsoft | CreativeSoft | Sun Microsystems | Oracle | World Wide Web Consortium | Blue Sky Software | Microsoft | IBM |
| Cost | Free | $495 | Free | Free | Free | @ $765: ships as part of RoboHelp Office or RoboHTML | Free | Free |
| Current version | 1.21 | 2.02 | 1.0 (as of 4/22/99) |
3.1.1 (Alpha 2 release) |
4.0 | 2.0 as of RoboHelp 7.0 & RoboHTML 7.0 | 4.0 | |
| Browser independent | No, requires MSIE 3.02 or later | Yes--provides a browser that you can distribute royalty free | No--requires Java-enabled browser (ships with HotJava) | No--requires Java-enabled browser (ships with HotJava) | Yes | No, requires browsers that support at least Java 1.2 (recommends latest versions of Internet Explorer or Netscape) | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Project editor | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes, via RoboHelp Office or RoboHTML | Yes, through third parties | Yes, through third parties |
| Linking | Yes | Yes (as defined in the associated RTF file) | Yes (through standard HTML) | Yes (through standard HTML) | Yes | Yes (through standard HTML, as well as ActiveX for MSIE and JavaScript for other browsers) | Yes | Yes |
| Context-sensitive | Yes (built into Windows API) | Yes | Yes (built into JDK 1.2 API) | Yes | No | No, requires programmatic intervention. | Yes | Yes |
| Graphics support | Supports standard Web formats and technologies, including ActiveX and Java-enabled add-ons; includes screen capture utility | Yes--supports BMP, GIF, and JPEG files; converts BMP files to GIF files | Supports standard Web formats and technologies, including Java-enabled add-ons | Supports standard Web formats and technologies, including Java-enabled add-ons | Supports standard web formats and technologies, additional support is browser- dependent | Yes, supports GIF and JPEG files. | Yes, supports bitmaps, metafiles, segmented hypergraphics, and multi-resolution bitmaps | Yes, supports bitmaps and metafiles |
| Window size and position | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic | No | Yes, through HTML code in helps or programmatic intervention | Yes | Yes |
| Popups | Yes | Yes | Yes (through an applet supplied with JavaHelp) | No | No | Yes, via ActiveX for MSIE and WebHelp system for other browsers | Yes | Yes |
| Table of contents | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Keyword searching | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (index) | Yes | Yes (index) |
| Full-text searching | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Compiled format | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded help | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Portability | Windows 95, 98, NT | Based on Java, has been tested on Windows, UNIX, and Solaris platforms | Based on Java | Based on Java | Supports any operating system from which you can view the Web. | Based on Java 1.2, has been tested on Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX. | Windows 3.1, 95, NT | Windows 3.1, 95, NT, OS/2, AIX |
| Internationalization and localization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| DBCS-enabled | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, via a separately developed and released version of RoboHelp/RoboHTML for DBCS languages, created by XLsoft. | Yes | Yes |
Resources
Blue-Sky technical support staff.
Microsoft Corporation 1995. Microsoft Windows 95 Help Authoring Kit.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. 1998. "JavaHelp 1.0 Specification Draft, version 0.70" (November 5, 1998), http://java.sun.com/products/javahelp.
Snarr, Todd. 1998. "Developing Java-Based Help" Hyperviews:Online (August).
Zubak, Cheryl Lockett. 1998. "HTML-Based Help: Is It Ready for Prime Time Yet?" Intercom (July/August): 21-28.
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