User Assistance

["Paul Prescod" <paul.prescod@blastradius.com>]

User Assistance (aka Online Help) is a key area of applicability for
DITA. But, like print, it is not currently fleshed out to a level that
would make implementations interoperable. I would like to suggest that
we tackle this issue in a Sub-TC consisting of DITA TC memebers and
invited guests who are knowledgable about various online help formats.
The goal of the sub-TC would be to define a short-term (DITA 1.2?) set
of conventions that can meet the needs of current help output formats.

In addition, I would like to suggest the creation of a mailing list
which would discuss the formation of a new OASIS TC -- a peer to DITA,
Docbook, ODF etc. This TC would invent a next-generation User Assistance
(online help) authoring and delivery format which might replace at least
SOME of the (seemingly?) meaningless diversity out there between the
various forms of HTML help. I wouldn't imagine that the output of such a
group would be a credible competitor to MAML (in terms of influence) but
it might be able to unify the help model across Java applications
(currently JavaHelp), Oracle applications (OracleHelp), Eclipse (Eclipse
help), the Macintosh and Linux. In order to form the mailing list, I
need the support of three "Eligible Persons":

http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/process.php#2.1

"Any group of at least three Eligible Persons may begin a publicly
subscribable discussion list for the purpose of forming a TC"

"Eligible Person" means one of a class of individuals that includes
persons holding Individual memberships in OASIS, employees or designees
of organizational members of OASIS, and such other persons as may be
designated by the OASIS Board of Directors.

I could probably meet the requirement purely through JustSystems/XMetaL
customers, but it would be better to demonstrate some
cross-organizational interest.

 Paul Prescod