Re: DOCBOOK-APPS: db2latex

[Peter Toft <pto@sslug.dk>]

On Mon, 23 Jul 2001, ben wrote:

> Sebastian Rahtz a écrit :
>
> > Peter Toft writes:
> >  > What I *really* like to do - I guess this is what you
> >  > have made - is to parse my SGML/DocBook to standard
> >  > Latex code, which I can process to PS/PDF-files using
> >  > the standard Tetex-packages getting a much nicer
> >  > layout compared to what (pdf)jadetex provides for me
> >  > today.
> >
> > If you want to do all your styling work in LaTeX, then forget DSSSL
> > and all it stands for. Just write a very simple freestanding
> > Docbook to LaTeX converter. I firmly believe that trying to marry bits
> > of formatting and transformation in DSSSL with bits of styling in
> > LaTeX is a recipe for awful confusion.
> >
> > Mind you, I think you are wrong. Going back to LaTeX is a retrograde
> > dead-end step, IMHO.
>
> I don't agree. It will be retrograde when the output formats are pretty
> and customizable enough. Besides, db2latex is a kind of freestanding
> Docbook to LaTeX converter, using XSL! Last, I don't see where confusion
> is: Docbook gives the structure, and latex the expected intermediate
> formatting output, even if it's true that latex is a mix of style and
> structure.

My main reason for looking at an SGML/XML to Latex
converter is that the PDF/PS output I can make using
openjade is not nearly as nice looking compared to what
I can make using native Latex. I really like to use
DocBook as the base, and I have ten Linux-related books
written in SGML/DocBook which I manage (done this the
last three years) which are more than 1000 pages.

-- 
Peter Toft, Ph.D. [pto@sslug.dk] http://www.sslug.dk/~pto

"Unix? What's that? Is that like Linux?"