Re: Introduction to DITA topics ( Was "Re: Where to locate theconformance topic")

[ekimber <ekimber@reallysi.com>]

On 9/1/09 8:18 AM, "Kristen James Eberlein" <keberlein@pobox.com> wrote:

> Elliot, your comments indicate that you've taken the "Introduction to
> DITA" section in a different direction than it was previously. (No value
> judgment on my part, but I want to keep matters clear.)
> 
> Up to now, the "Introduction to DITA" was a introductory section in the
> Architectural Specification; it introduced those topics, not the
> Language Reference topics.
> 
> It sounds as if you want the "Introduction to DITA" topics to introduce
> both the Architectural Specification and the Language Reference. I think
> we need to talk about that, especially since what you are suggesting
> potentially has a big effect on the Lang Ref topics and might introduce
> significant work for Robert ...

As I read the current Intro to DITA, and as I think it needs to become, it
provides an introduction to DITA in general and, in particular, introduces
the core concepts and defines all the DITA-specific terminology used in both
the Lang Ref and Arch Spec. That is, it needs to do that (it doesn't
actually do all of that today--making it do so is one of my tasks).

That is, I wasn't seeing it as an introduction the Arch Spec specifically,
but to DITA generally, as a technology and as a standard. The Arch Spec then
defines those things that are not element-type specific and the Lang Ref
defines the details of each element type.

When the Arch Spec was a standalone document the only place the Intro to
DITA could reasonably go was in the Arch Spec. But in the context of an
all-in-one publication, it could go somewhere else, if it made sense to do
so.

But in any case, my proposed promotion of the Intro to DITA section is not
required if the Conformance section must occur after all other normative
sections.

Cheers,

E.


----
Eliot Kimber | Senior Solutions Architect | Really Strategies, Inc.
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