RE: [dita] User Assistance

["Gershon L Joseph" <gershon@tech-tav.com>]

Hi Paul,

I vaguely recall one of the standards groups forming a TC to develop a
next-generation online help standard, but I can't find it via Google. Maybe
it never got off the ground. In any case, I think it's a great idea, and
would like to participate. I have never understood why every manufacturer
has developed their own HTML-based online help standard...


Best Regards,
Gershon


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Prescod [mailto:paul.prescod@blastradius.com] 
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 9:59 AM
To: dita@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: [dita] User Assistance

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