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Subject: Re: [Fwd: [Fwd: First Open Source Documentation Summit at the O'ReillyOpen Source Convention]]
>>>>> "S" == Sebastian Rahtz <sebastian.rahtz@computing-services.oxford.ac.uk> sheds some sanity on the situation and writes: S> my POV is that I want to use TeX to format my XML documents, at S> least until/unless FOP ever gets good enough to replace it. I S> will use my not-inconsiderable TeX knowledge and experience to S> that aim - but lets all play the same game. Is there any future S> in DSSSL? If not, lets not waste time on jadetex any more. if S> you think there *is* a future in DSSSL, someone convince me.... I don't think anyone is defending DSSSL's future; we are just expressing that same desire you state, for a means to transform DocBook files into printable pages, and speculating that the shortest path is through using TeX/LaTeX as the intermediate format. How this is done, whether by DSSSL, by replacing or hacking at jadetex, or by some XML/XSL method is not really important, we just need to print documents and be assured the printed format is worthy of public presentation. That raises the question: What is the _shortest_ path to DB->Print? Are there _any_ free XSL tools mature enough for real-world use? What is xmltex and is it sufficient to transform a 700-page book? Is the answer in Xalan or Xerces or one of those other questionably pronounceable java tools? ;) Do we really want to re-invent the very mature typesetting features of TeX? I am certain I am not alone in this. I'd gladly migrate my DSLs to XSLs if I could find the documents and the tools, but even Norm's book sidesteps how to affect these basic transformations. As an aside, is it a requirement that a DB->Print may need to accommodate the LaTeX stylesheets required by many academic and trade publishers? That may be another good reason to consider real-LaTeX as the intermediate form. -- Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@teledyn.com> TeleDynamics Communications Inc Business Innovations Through Open Source Systems: http://www.teledyn.com "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."(Pablo Picasso)
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