Re: [dita] who complains about complexity of DITA?

[Michael Priestley <mpriestl@ca.ibm.com>]

Hi Dick,

>The "DocBook is dead" undercurrent in
this thread surprises me. 
I hadn't noticed that undercurrent,
and don't think it's relevant to the discussion in any case. Getting 

But I do think that just saying "DITA
is complex" is a complete mistake. DITA can be complex, if you need
complexity. It can also be simple, if you need simplicity. There are plenty
of case studies from both ends of the spectrum. Boosters of DITA tend to
focus on the simplicity of the simple cases and the value of the complex
cases, and detractors of DITA do the reverse. Both are misleading.

A big driver for the creation of the
DITA maturity model was to bring some clarity to the discussion. At level
2 of the model, you're using just topics and maps, and only prepackaged
specializations (if any). Many organizations adopt at that level and are
quite happy with their ROI. You get the potential for substantial additional
returns from higher up the model, along with increased cost - although
over time, there is a trickledown effect, as specializations created by
organizations at level 3 or higher are tested and contributed back to the
community, allowing groups at level 2 to capitalize on that investment.


http://dita.xml.org/wiki/the-dita-maturity-model

Michael Priestley, Senior Technical
Staff Member (STSM)
Lead IBM DITA Architect 
mpriestl@ca.ibm.com
http://dita.xml.org/blog/25

From:	Dick Hamilton <rlhamilton@frii.com>
To:	"dita@lists.oasis-open.org" <dita@lists.oasis-open.org>
Cc:	"dita-adoption@lists.oasis-open.org" <dita-adoption@lists.oasis-open.org>
Date:	12/07/2010 02:22 AM
Subject:	Re: [dita] who complains about complexity of DITA?

---

The "DocBook is dead" undercurrent in this
thread surprises me. DocBook is still alive and well in many applications,
esp., open source.

Even with more elements (though if you include L&T, DITA 1.2 is bigger
than DocBook 5.0:-), I'd argue that DocBook is much simpler for writers
and will be until practitioners learn how to use the complex features of
DITA to create simple applications that support the work that writers need
to do.

(By "application" I mean a combination of specialization, features
like keyref, content strategy, and writer training to create a custom solution
that addresses a particular business need.)

I wonder if the correct "marketing" approach is to acknowledge
that DITA is complex, but emphasize that when properly used, that complexity
makes it possible for tools developers to create applications that are
simpler and more capable for their target audience.

Dick Hamilton
XML Press
http://xmlpress.net






---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mail list, you must leave the OASIS TC that
generates this mail.  Follow this link to all your TCs in OASIS at:
https://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/portal/my_workgroups.php