Helping people learn how to make NewtonBooks while making more NewtonBooks available to the general public.
References and Guides:
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There are a lot of references and guides to making NewtonBooks available here on eWorld. To find these files you should go to the World of Newton (shortcut: Newton). Then click on NewtonBooks. Select the folder References, and then the folder NewtonBook Development. In this folder you will find these files:
Sample NewtonBook Files - Samples which walk you from start to finish.
Making NewtonBooks - The complete guide from Apple.
Bookmaking - More Samples
Demo Doc - A sample document with more complex editing.
Text File Sources on eWorld:
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eWorld provides users with a large variety of texts suitable for NewtonBooks. Texts such as MacWeek, MacWorld, InfoWeek, or news sources are copyrighted and should not be made into NewtonBooks. However texts such as the O.J. Simpson trial transcripts are in the public domain and can be legally made into NewtonBooks.
The best source for electronic texts is Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg is a non-profit effort to convert as many books into plain ASCII files as possible. They only convert books which are in the public domain, or books where the authors have given them permission to distribute the books as electronic texts (etexts.) You can browse the Project Gutenberg library through TimeMachine here on eWorld (shortcut: TimeMachine.) There is a list of all Project Gutenberg files and whether or not they have been converted into NewtonBooks. This list is kept in the World of Newton (shortcut: Newton), in the NewtonBooks file folders, in the Info Button.
Interesting court case transcripts are available at CourtTV, shortcut: Court TV. These include transcripts from the O.J.Simpson case as well as other high profile cases.
You can also request information on a favorite subject from Jon NWT. On the internet there are thousands of FAQs (Frequently Asked Question texts) on everything from AIDS to Zoology. Jon NWT has volunteered to scour the Internet looking for information on topics of your choosing so they can be made into NewtonBooks.
Scripting the Text:
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All NewtonBooks must contain at least three commands. Commands are all alone on their own line and are preceeded by a period. Here are some examples:
.title eWorld BookBinders
This command tells the Newton that the title of the book, which will appear above every page, is "eWorld BookBinders". This is a required command and must appear at the beginning of every book.
.isdn Co9502171312
Every NewtonBook receives a unique number, like a serial number. I always use the first two letters of my last name and the data and time that I am making the book. This isbn number indicates that I wrote this paragraph on February 17, 1995 at 1:12 pm. This is a required command and must appear at the beginning of every book.
These two commands are each only used once at the beginning of a book. Using either of these commands more than once will lead to an error in the book.
The third essential command is simple:
.story
The .story command tells the Newton that the following text is the body of the book, the story.
If you have these three commands at the beginning of a text file it can be made into a NewtonBook. However, it will be a very boring NewtonBook. To see how to take advantage of advanced NewtonBook features see one of the example filed in the NewtonBook Development folder.
Protocol for BookBinders:
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In order to not duplicate each others efforts we need to have a system for knowing what everyone is doing. The system is simple.
Every etext uploaded to World of Newton will include a little note at the bottom of the description saying who is converting the text into a NewtonBook. Files which say "no one" are open game. If you would like to convert this book you should follow these steps:
1. email JON NWT and "check out" the file.
2. wait for confirmation from Jon.
3. download the file.
4. Upload the scripted file to WON New Files for compiling. Be sure to
indicate in the description that this file needs to be compiled. (Jon will
either compile the file himself or forward it to another volunteer with the
Newton ToolKit.) Jon will then return the .pkg file to you.
5. look over the package to see if you would like to make any changes.
If you make changes repeat step 4.
6. Write a readme about the file and yourself.
7. Upload the package and the ReadMe to WON New Files.
Because you will always be sending the file as an upload to the file libraries it will not cost you money. You will only pay for the few minutes it takes to download the file the first time.
Jon NWT will be coordinating the effort with the staff of America Online to so we are not duplicating their work.
If you are on Internet and do not have an eWorld account you can still help. Send Jon email at JONNWT@eWorld.com.