[pdftex] dvi output from pdflatex?

[ivo welch]

Dear pdftex experts:

Is 'pdflatex --output-format dvi' supposed to create a .dvi output
file?  Strangely, I seem to be getting the appropriate errors (not
compiling to pdf) but .pdf output anyway.  (I am asking because I want
to use htlatex, which seems to like dvi format, but not pdf format.)

Version: kpathsea version 3.5.6, pdfTeXk, Version 3.141592-1.40.1 (Web2C 7.5.6)

# pdflatex --output-format dvi data-course.tex
   ...
  ( variety of small errors, such as
Non-PDF special ignored!
Non-PDF special ignored!
Non-PDF special ignored!] (./data-course.aux) ){/home/local/texlive/2007/texmf-
dist/fonts/enc/dvips/base/texnansi.enc}</home/local/texlive/2007/texmf-dist/fon
ts/type1/urw/courier/ucrr8a.pfb></home/local/texlive/2007/texmf-dist/fonts/type
1/urw/helvetic/uhvr8a.pfb></home/local/texlive/2007/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/urw/
times/utmr8a.pfb></home/local/texlive/2007/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/urw/times/utm
ri8a.pfb>
Output written on data-course.pdf (4 pages, 61374 bytes).
Transcript written on data-course.log.
#

10:1 odds that I have screwed something up again, so apologies in advance.

Regards,

/iaw