Introduction

["Mary McRae" <mary@office-xml.com>]

Since the post went through, I guess I can comment here.

Before responding to Jason's proposal, I thought I should introduce myself
to the group. I've communicated with Jason a bit, but I don't think I know
most of you.

I've been working in SGML/XML since the early 90's when I was responsible
for the implementation of an SGML-based
authoring/editorial/composition/maintenance system for what was then
Butterworth Legal Publishers in Orford and Salem, NH (now part of Lexis
Legal Publishing). From there I went to work for Xyvision (now XyEnterprise)
as Manager of Sales Support, and finally landed here at DMSi where I've been
for the last 7 years, responsible for all things related to SGML/XML
implementations. I become involved in what was then SGMLOpen during my stint
at Xyvision, and after moving to DMSi served one term on the OASIS Board of
Directors. Long before I had ever heard of SGML (and, in fact, long before
Goldfarb had thought of SGML) I worked part-time for an attorney and a few
years later as systems administrator for a medium-sized law firm in Boston
(responsible for the "word processing center" and putting PCs on the
secretaries' desks). From my first stint as an LCS (Legal Computer Systems)
operator for a medium-sized law firm in Florida, to managing the help desk
for LCS upon my return to Massachusetts to managing customer support at
AlterText to today, my career has been centered around documents - how
they're created, how they're maintained, and how they're published. 

I've had a decade of experience getting lawyers, legal editors, assistants
and secretaries to use structured authoring tools and to participate in the
process of developing DTDs that not only provide the necessary information
to the back-end systems, but also help them, rather than hinder them, in
getting their work done.

I'm particularly interested in the work of this committee because for the
last year my company has been focused on developing Smart Document solutions
for Microsoft Office 2003. We've built a Simplified DocBook solution that's
been released as a beta and we're now going through the final set of
revisions before announcing availability to the world. Our first solution
was for the GCApaper environment for the XML 2003 conference. Needless to
say, I'd like to tackle eContracts.

Mary

Mary P McRae
Senior Vice President and Principal XML Technologist
DMSi
email: mmcrae@dmsi-world.com
web: www.dmsi-world.com
cell: 603.557.7985