XSL-FO and CSS (was RE: Syntax highlighting)

["Cavicchio, Rob" <rob.cavicchio@emc.com>]

Frank Arensmeier [mailto:farensmeier@gmail.com] wrote:

> I'd like to chime in here for a second or two. I think it is also important to ask
> in which direction Docbook (and other XML standards too for that matter)
> need to evolve in the near future. If you look at marketshare for desktop
> computer vs mobile devices, one will realise that the number of mobile
> devices has exploded the last couple of years. And this trend will definitely
> continue over the next decade or two. On the other hand, number of
> desktop computers has decreased tremendously.
> 
> Where does DB come into this picture? Personally, I think that HTML output
> will (and should) become more important to focus on than anything else. It is
> not XSL/FO that gets attention today, it's CSS. In my opinion, XSL/FO is a dead
> end. It has a rather steep learning curve, there are only three production
> ready formatters available and I cannot see any signs of increased effort to
> develop XSL/FO any further. I've already customers that are more and more
> reluctant to pay for XSL/FO development. Partly because these customers
> don't want to be forced into one single technology and/or one single
> developer.
> 
> If Docbook would switch to CSS based PDF generation, and you are able to
> achieve 80% of all the features that come with the PDF format, that's
> absolutely fine with me. I am convinced that it's only a matter of time before
> we reach those remaining 20%.


To me, the device being used is irrelevant to the issue. Tomorrow's mobile (or other) devices will not be today's mobile (or other) devices, and if you develop for today's devices then you're always behind.

The question is more about what the format provides. If traditional page-based formats are useful (and I believe that they are), then demand for them will remain, and the technology will eventually evolve to enable us to view them on mobile devices just as well as we can view them on desktops. Dropping 20% of the usability of the format in order accommodate today's devices is not particularly forward-thinking. We might get that 20% back "someday", but I think that one should consider refactoring only when that "someday" arrives.

Just my opinion, of course.


*************************
Rob Cavicchio
rob.cavicchio@emc.com

Consulting Technical Writer & Information Architect
Information Intelligence Group
EMC Corporation

The opinions expressed here are my personal opinions. Content published here is not read or approved in advance by EMC and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of EMC.