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Subject: Re: Need to have a conversation with you about how the DITA TC packages its specification


Hi Kris,

Some preliminary thoughts prior to talking more in depth...

On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 1:03 PM, Kristen James Eberlein
<kris@eberleinconsulting.com> wrote:
> For DITA 1.3, we want to approve and distribute an "all" version -- but we
> also want to package and distribute subsets of it. We think that these
> subsets are what most end users will want to download and use.
>
> Thoughts about this?

Conceptually I don't have a problem with this. But the logistics that
will be required need some thought. See below...

> We would of course single-source content into the various packages. Ideally
> we would just send the "all" package through the formal approval process.

Well, technically anything that is going to be published to the OASIS
Library by the TC must be approved. I can't go with "we approved this
one big thing, but here are these 15 we want to publish." That would
violate the OASIS process rules in a fairly major way.

One solution would be to approach the collection as a single,
multi-part work product. (We should discuss how to organize and name
the pieces.) That would allow for one single review and approval.

In other words, dita-v1.3-wd01.zip (just hypothetically) would contain

> Base = Base
> Technical content = Base + Technical Content
> Learning & Training = Base + Technical Content + Learning & Training

in a zipped directory structure and the cover pages would name the
various parts and etc. etc.

And the TC would approve DITA v1.3 wd01 as DITA v1.3 CSD01 and we
would load it to docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.3/csd01, announce its
public review, etc.

> Otherwise, we will have a huge number of deliverables for review ... For
> example, let's say five packages (base, technical content, learning &
> training, semiconductor, TBD) x five output formats (XHTML, PDF, CHM, ePub,
> DITA source) = 25 deliverables -- this might take up all of your time as TC
> admin! And honestly, be impossible for us to easily cope with also.
>
> The previous TC admin, Mary McRae, had difficulties with the fact that
> material would be "duplicated" in the various packages, for example:

Yes, I don't really have a problem with the duplication. I take it as
a given that it is all being generated from a common source. The
wrinkle I see is in the TC Process section 3.0 requirements:

---
Standards Track Work Products progress as follows:

Committee Specification Draft,
Committee Specification Public Review Draft,
Committee Specification,
Candidate OASIS Standard,
OASIS Standard,
Approved Errata.

Each of the progressions above must begin with step 1, and no step may
be skipped. However a TC is not required to progress a Work Product
from one step to the next.
---

That's why I think handling it as a multi-part work product ("(5)
Multi-Part Work Products. A Work Product may be composed of any number
of files of different types, though any such multi-part Work Product
must have a single Work Product name and version number. Irrespective
of the number and status of the constituent parts, the Work Product as
a whole must be approved by a single Work Product Ballot.") provides
the way to accomplish this.

Again, preliminary until we talk further...

/chet

>
> Base = Base
> Technical content = Base + Technical Content
> Learning & Training = Base + Technical Content + Learning & Training
>
> The reality is that this is how DITA is constructed. We built it in modules
> that can be aggregated, and this will only further continue as we produce
> DITA specializations geared at various industry-vertical segments, for
> example, the semiconductor industry (slated for inclusion in DITA 1.3).
>
> Thoughts?
>
> --
> Best,
>  Kris
>  Kristen James Eberlein
> Principal consultant, Eberlein Consulting
> Co-chair, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
> Charter member, OASIS DITA Adoption Committee
> www.eberleinconsulting.com
> +1 919 682-2290; kriseberlein (skype)
>



-- 

/chet
----------------
Chet Ensign
Director of Standards Development and TC Administration
OASIS: Advancing open standards for the information society
http://www.oasis-open.org

Primary: +1 973-996-2298
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