Re: [dita] strict task vs. general task vs. the file naming andmodule rules

[Eliot Kimber <ekimber@reallysi.com>]

On 11/13/09 3:26 PM, "Ogden, Jeff" <jogden@ptc.com> wrote:

> Eliot wrote:
> 
>> I don't think it's going to come as a surprise to any 1.1 user that 1.2 is a
>> significant change to DITA.

> It might if we continue to claim that DITA 1.2 is compatible with DITA 1.1.
> 
> I still hope we do not go forward with option (1), but if we do, I don't think
> we can continue to claim that DITA 1.2 is compatible with DITA 1.1 and 1.0.
> Instead I think we'll need to say something like:
> 
>  
> 
> ·         DITA 1.2 is mostly compatible with DITA 1.1 and 1.0.
> 
> ·         DITA 1.2 is largely compatible with DITA 1.1 and 1.0.
> 
> ·         DITA 1.2 is compatible with DITA 1.1 and 1.0 except for the
> following changes xxxx, xxxx, ..., and xxxx.
> 
> ·         DITA 1.2 is compatible with DITA 1.1 and 1.0 except for the items
> listed in Appendix XX of the DITA 1.2 Architectural Specification.

I don't think that's fair--DITA 1.2 is fully backward compatible with DITA
1.1 in that all conforming DITA 1.1 documents will continue to be conforming
DITA 1.2 documents.

There is nothing in the requirement for backward compatibility that says we
can't, for example, relax constraints. We cannot *add* constraints.

I think there would be more room for complaint if we hadn't added the
constraint module for task. But we did. Anyone can use it and most will use
it automatically without realizing it.

We're fixing a serious design flaw in DITA 1.0 (overconstrained task) and
doing it in such a way that the majority of users will probably never even
notice and the ones who do notice have a ready fix at hand (the task
constraint module).

> Is anyone working on a draft of the "upgrade guide" chapter or document that
> we've said is needed?

I will certainly sign up to contribute if no-one else has volunteered.
 
Cheers,

E.

-- 
Eliot Kimber
Senior Solutions Architect
"Bringing Strategy, Content, and Technology Together"
Main: 610.631.6770
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