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Subject: Completeness check: are the current domains adequate?


I'm reviewing some broad aspects of DITA as we draw closer on the first specification draft. I brought up tables already. Another area concerns DITA's core domains: highlighting, programming, software, user interface, and a possibly vestigial catchall, utilities. For interoperbility with existing uses of DITA, we don't want to remove domains or vocabulary that might be in use. On the other hand, we have an opportunity now to add some additional vocabulary that might make DITA more visible.

I suggest this because I was reviewing a private note from Erik Hennum (who is on vacation at the moment, or I would have had him put the idea forth), in which he mentioned that the OASIS TC should consider adding vocabulary domains that include targets for DocBook-to-DITA migration.

What is the value, you ask? By architecting semantically equivalent targets in DITA for structures in DocBook, we enable these two document architectures to speak to each other, and potentially to exchange both content and processing. This is much more powerful than just adding a new subject domain as a vocabulary... it enables any DocBook library to interoperate with DITA without a tools change other than an identity-transform-based migrator that exchanges schemas and handles the attribute differences. Down the road, well-formed DocBook fragments might even be valid DITA instances, meaning that you might be able to use DITA maps to include DocBook chunks directly for DITA deliverables. I'll let Eliot wrestle with the mechanics of this tantalizing thought.

Anyway, a shared vocabulary with DocBook is one such domain with high value across many industries. Would there be any others? Please share and discuss!

Regards,
--
Don Day <dond@us.ibm.com>
Chair, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
IBM Lead DITA Architect
11501 Burnet Rd., MS 9037D018, Austin TX 78758
Ph. 512-838-8550 (T/L 678-8550)

"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
--T.S. Eliot



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