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Editorial and technical principles
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The electronic representation of the Manuscript is a new form of edition which differs from a traditional paper copy edition and therefore needs some explanation of its editorial and technical principles.
- The digital images make it unnecessary to use a sophisticated technique of representing details of the original texts in the form of writing-conventions. Consequently, the transcription is mainly intended as a reading aid, focussing on making explicit the reading in cases such as deletions where neither the digital images nor even the original manuscript allow for an immediate recognition of the text. Texts are represented in a way that facilitates the disentanglement of the various version of a corrected text. The transcriptions of calculations do not reproduce the calculation scheme but indicate the input, the arithmetical operation, and the output in modern notation. Drawings are reproduced in order to give an unambigous interpretation of the geometrical meaning of the original figures.
- The electronic form of reproducing the Manuscript offers far-reaching opportunities of handling the data that are extensively exploited. Thus, internal links between related pages of the chaotically numbered folios facilitate the comprehension of internal consistencies and developments of Galileo's thought. Links to other sources, publications, and scholarly work make it possible to quickly gain an overview of the state of research on the pages of the manuscript. Automatically generated indices provide access to the Manuscript in a new way that is unparalleled by indices of traditional editions.
- The file system of the representation is generated by computer programs from the data kept in a database. Frequent updates can be easily realized. This opportunity will be used to organize scholarly work on the development of Galileo's science and to quickly spread improved interpretations.
- The unexpectedly rapid development of the standardized HTML data format of the internet together with the commonly available browser technology opened up the possibility of a platform-independent representation, relatively robust against technical innovations. In order to take advantage of this unique opportunity the restrictions of this technology are accepted. The data format is deliberately kept simple, the mark-up is kept to a minimum. Text characteristics are converted in a suggestive way into the standard features of the HTML format. Thus, for instance, Galileo's underlinings of text are represented by bold face text. Colored text is used to indicate intended and realized corrections.
While the electronic representation may appear odd compared with the sophisticated transcription systems of traditional critical editions, its unprecedented opportunities for further scholarly work justify the deviation from traditional editorial standards. The new medium combines a powerful intelligent working environment for scholarly work with a flexible and openended account of its results.
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Editorial and technical principles
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