[Sigia-l] Word Docs, Spreadsheets & PDFs Opening in Browser Windows

[lee.r.sachs at verizon.com]

Gang -

I'm wondering what the general consensus is on docs (like spreadsheets,
pdfs & word files) opening up in a browser window (IE-only).  On one hand
we always want to create a consistent user experience so navigation, look &
feel, etc. don't change.  But, for some content, there's are accepted
practices to offer PDFs (particularly legal docs & designed forms) online.
For a large-scale project, with hundreds of docs created in various
formats, what best practice can we counter with to justify converting that
content into standardized HTML?

Some reasons I can think of:
- Netscape doesn't open w/in the same window (asks user to launch the
native app.)
- Even if a doc is designed like HTML, it won't function like HTML
- The level of effort to convert all that content can be countered by
making it more accessible and usable
- HTML can be indexed more effectively

Any others would be appreciated!  Any other input/opinions on this
generally.


-lee