Criteria for determining which tools to include in the DHTG...

[Scott Prentice <sp10@leximation.com>]

Hi...

This action item of mine is a bit overdue. Here's what I'm thinking 
should be the criteria ..

- A tool can be included in the DHTG if that tool can consume or create 
DITA, and can export out-of-the-box, through the tool's UI, at least one 
"Help" format.

Even if that tool is just using the OT to generate this Help format, as 
long as it installs the OT to do that, it can be in the DHTG. This 
probably opens the door to many DITA authoring tools, but excludes tools 
that do not themselves consume DITA in some way. It would not include a 
tool that just converts from one format to another, since this would 
have nothing to do with DITA.

Then there is the issue of defining what constitutes a "Help" format. I 
think that for the purposes of the DHTG, a Help format is one that's 
described in the "Help Delivery Technologies" section of the DHTG. How 
we decide what to put in that section .. well, I suppose that's up for 
discussion. There are two formats that I can see might be considered "on 
the fence" of being a Help format or not .. PDF and ePub. There are 
people who use PDF as the "online Help system," and therefore this would 
be considered a Help format (I'd think) .. even though I personally 
think this is a bad use of PDF. But what about ePub? What exactly does 
make something a Help format?

Something for further discussion, I'd think.

Cheers,

...scott