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Subject: Re: DOCBOOK: Re: A straw proposal for help topics in DocBook


/ Bob Stayton <bobs@caldera.com> was heard to say:
| I think Karl's point is that before new elements are added
| to Docbook, that someone should convince the skeptics that the
| legitimate needs for generating help output cannot be met
| using existing elements, role attributes, and stylesheets.

Well, it all depends on how tightly you want to define "cannot be
met".  This is a slippery slope, DocBook doesn't really "need" all
those inlines, for example, everything could be done with <phrase>
and some attributes. :-)

There are (at least) two issues here:

1. What markup is technically required to support online help and
   other similar "documents"? (I think we should be looking at
   "topic-based", "non-linear" markup more generally than just online
   help, although that's clearly a significant application.)

2. I've heard it said more than once that DocBook is "too book
   oriented" for online help (and similar sorts of applications).
   And, specifically, that authors who are used to online help
   authoring are resistant to using <chapter> and <section> and
   similar elements, not because they couldn't get the formatting
   that they need, but because it doesn't fit their mental model.

The argument that it's too book oriented is flatly wrong on technical
grounds, and we've got Jirka's excellent work on the HTMLHelp
stylesheets to prove it. But the psychological issues are more
difficult to tackle.

We could say, "it's technically possible, they oughta learn how to do
it 'our way'", but I'm reluctant to do that without at least
considering other options.

| It seems we are implementing new elements before we are clear
| on the requirements.  If someone were to write a list of

I've asked several people who are involved in online help creation to
provide some requirements. I encourage everyone on this list that
knows someone who writes online help to do the same.

I only banged out that proposal to start discussion, so I'm content
that it was a complete success :-)

| influence the design.  Is it too much to ask that someone
| write up a list of requirements for help content?
| I think if we could agree to some requirements then the
| system design would be much easier.  8^)

Sounds like a plan to me.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

-- 
Norman Walsh <ndw@nwalsh.com>      | If you wish to advance into the
http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/ | infinite, explore the finite in
Chair, DocBook Technical Committee | all directions.--Goethe


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