I think it would be much better to replace the .doc files with .md ones for different reasons:
- Improved git file tracking. Since the
.doc files are tracked as raw files it is very difficult, in case of pull requests or in general for the Version Control, to track changes
- Improved compatibility.
.doc files are natively created by Microsoft suite, which is not free nor present on OS like Linux, which is used by many students, above all in the Computer Engnineering courses (actually there is an alternative, LibreOffice, but which may not be completely compatible with a proprietary format)
- Browser compatibility. Using Markdown allows student to access and view the file directly by the browser thanks to the GitHub preview.
Another alternative which I think might be evaluted is LaTeX; in that case VC can be achieved through the .tex file and maybe, to avoid students who just want to read the handbook download the LaTeX compilation tools, a .pdf file can be provided in the folder.
I think it would be much better to replace the
.docfiles with.mdones for different reasons:.docfiles are tracked as raw files it is very difficult, in case of pull requests or in general for the Version Control, to track changes.docfiles are natively created by Microsoft suite, which is not free nor present on OS like Linux, which is used by many students, above all in the Computer Engnineering courses (actually there is an alternative, LibreOffice, but which may not be completely compatible with a proprietary format)Another alternative which I think might be evaluted is LaTeX; in that case VC can be achieved through the
.texfile and maybe, to avoid students who just want to read the handbook download the LaTeX compilation tools, a.pdffile can be provided in the folder.