softhyphen
Dev tools
html text formatting
SHOW HN2010
How HN took it
7 positive, 5 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 8 critical, out of 22 comments about the project. Thread score -0.05.
Execution: 2 for, 5 againstIdea: 5 for, 1 againstDesign: 0 for, 1 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Neat project and well written; nice code on GitHub.
From 3 comments
Nice. I didn't realize today's HTML implementations were handling soft hyphens. When I last tried that it didn't work, but that was a long time ago.
voidpointer on HNWhen I started out in Computers over 25 years ago, I got very interested in TeX and LaTeX and read a lot of the literature. One item that impressed me at the time - and still…
yannis on HNnicely done (looks like nice code on github). there's another python implementation of frank liang's hyphenation here, fyi. http://nedbatchelder.com/code/modules/hyphenate.html…
tmsh on HN
Idea of a WordPress plugin or JS library is useful.
From 2 comments
This is pretty cool. My suggestion: create a simple API and a WordPress plugin. I think it would be handy for a lot of WP-powered sites and that would make it easier for people…
callmeed on HNActually, I think there's still room for a WP plugin based on your project. I've tried WP-Typography before, and while I love KingDesk's intentions, I didn't like the complexity…
mortenjorck on HN
Objections
Browser soft hyphen support is buggy and can eat text.
From 2 comments
This is neat. Some possible drawbacks: (1) Browser layout engines are pretty messed up, and adding a bunch of shy hyphens can lead to really weird layout issues. I wish I had…
jacobolus on HNThey sort-of work. It’s far from perfect. Do your own testing before you rely on browsers.
jacobolus on HN
Soft hyphens hurt source readability and may affect SEO and search.
From 2 comments
Cool project. Not your fault, but all these soft hyphens really destroy source readability. I also wonder if this could cause keyword/seo problems.
chaosmachine on HNThis is neat. Some possible drawbacks: (1) Browser layout engines are pretty messed up, and adding a bunch of shy hyphens can lead to really weird layout issues. I wish I had…
jacobolus on HN
Requests
Show the user's own text hyphenated next to unhyphenated version.
From 1 comment
It'd be good if after you entered some text, the sample at the bottom showed the text you entered un-hyphenated and hyphenated for easy comparison, rather than keeping the…
tb on HN
Resizable div to preview text reflow.
From 1 comment
Even better would be a resizable div that the user can drag around to see how the text reflows.
m_eiman on HN
Provide a WordPress plugin or API.
From 1 comment
This is pretty cool. My suggestion: create a simple API and a WordPress plugin. I think it would be handy for a lot of WP-powered sites and that would make it easier for people…
callmeed on HN
Questions
Do search engines handle soft hyphens correctly?
From 2 comments
Absolutely a valid concern. I can imagine there are plenty of (non-global) search-engines out there that trip over this issue (in fact, now that I think about it, I don't think I…
romland on HNFirst off, kickass site, very impressive that you did this, let alone over the weekend. I look forward to browsing through the source. OK, so general SEO question. Do search…
zackattack on HN
Alternatives named
Hyphenator JavaScript library.
From 2 comments
A Javascript project that does this - http://code.google.com/p/hyphenator/ - with an example -http://j.mp/bakUUw A relavant Reddit thread - http://j.mp/d8H3Tf
kes on HNIt’s not exactly an unresearched problem. Here’s from 1983: http://www.tug.org/docs/liang/ Here’s a javascript version: http://code.google.com/p/hyphenator/
jacobolus on HN
WP-Hyphenate WordPress plugin.
From 1 comment
Good idea! I was just about to start it, and decided to do a search in case someone had something similar. This plugin looks pretty good, actually:…
fortes on HN
Nedbatchelder Python hyphenate module.
From 1 comment
nicely done (looks like nice code on github). there's another python implementation of frank liang's hyphenation here, fyi. http://nedbatchelder.com/code/modules/hyphenate.html…
tmsh on HN