Why do we like HTML more than pdfs?

HTML rendering requires you to be connected to the internet, or setting up the images and mathJax locally. A PDF just works.

HTML obviously supports dynamic embedding, such as programs, much better but people just usually post a github.io page with the paper.

devnull3 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> HTML rendering requires you to be connected to the internet

Not really. One can always generate a self-contained html. Both CSS and JS (if needed) can be inline.

	▲	vatsachak 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		True but the webdev idiom is injecting things such as mathjax from a cdn. I guess one can pre-render the page and save that, but that's kind of like a PDF already

mmooss 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

epub 'just works' locally, and it's html under the hood.

nine_k 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Try opening a PDF on a phone screen.

	▲	vatsachak 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I do it all the time to read papers. It's easy

recursive 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Why would html rendering require a network connection? It doesn't seem to on my machine.

Things like LaTeX equation rendering are hosted on a cdn

They can be but don't need to be. Any javascript can be localized like HTML and CSS.

	▲	vatsachak 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That's fair, but imagine trying to get the average reader up to speed with something like npm.