Relevance of HTML Javadoc

[Sebastian Kürten]

Hi,

I have seen that there are several improvements to Javadoc schedulded
for the next release of Java. I'm doing research on the relevance of
the HTML documentation and would appreciate your input.

Nowadays Javadoc is somehow integrated into most IDEs. For example when
I hover the mouse over a method in the source code in Eclipse, it will
automatically display the Javadoc in a small window. I am looking for
reasons why people are still using the HTML Javadoc in the browser.

I am personally using Javadoc in the browser most of the time and I
am using the IDE integration only for quick lookups. If I want to get an
overview of a class or a whole library I open the Javadoc in the
browser. I think one reason for this is, that I just find it more
convenient to read in the browser, also because of the browser's search
functionality within the page. Other reasons I could find so far:

* If I am evaluating whether to use a library in a project, I may not
  be directly able to access the docs through the IDE. It is then
  easier to just go the Javadoc in the browser.

* The device I'm viewing the docs on may actually be a different one
  than the workstation where I am coding, hence the IDE may not be
  available at all.

* Often the doc references other online material which is then easily
  accessed using the browser.

I would be very interested in your opinion on these matters. Do you
think many / the mayority of programmers are still using Javadoc in the
browser? What are the reasons for that, maybe I am missing some obvious
points?

Thanks for your feedback!
Sebastian