DOCBOOK-APPS: Direct DocBook XML to LaTeX? (was ... Re: Conceptualmodel for pr ocessing DocBook SGML and XML)

["Prikryl,Petr" <PRIKRYLP@skil.cz>]

Hi DocBookers,

Daniel Veillard wrote...
> [...] one of the thing which strikes me is that there is no direct 
> DocBook XML -> TeX transformations. Basically they require
> going through FO where the semantic is lost and only content/formatting 
> [...] Granted, LaTeX is not TeX, but isn't there more semantic to TeX than
> just content/formatting . Wouldn't a direct DocBook XML -> TeX
transformation
> makes senses (I'm not asking if someone wants to do it or if it's simple
;-)

I would also appreciate direct conversion to sources for LaTeX, because
the LaTeX is widely used and matured.  It is possible to generate
PostScript,
PDF, HTML, text...  Many users who already use LaTeX do not know
DocBook, but it is likely they will use it soon.  Adding only one tool -- a
XSLT
processor -- would give them complete chain of tools if the LaTeX were
produced. 

In my opinion, the usage of TeX with DocBook via JadeTeX or PassiveTeX
is the result of seaching for a typesetting engine that is capable to
typeset
some desired layout -- this is O.K; TeX was designed for such pupose.

LaTeX, on the other hand, was designed to capture the structure and
semantics
of a document.  One can still use the low-level TeX commands in the LaTeX
source.  I feel that the LaTeX sources give you something similar to HTML.
You may not know what will be visible, you do not know the exact layout
of the output, and it still makes sense.

While HTML browsers try their best to render the result on the screen,
LaTeX produces very acceptable results on the paper.  In this sense, 
generating LaTeX sources from DocBook XML should be given similar
importance as generating HTML sources (i.e. directly by XSLT processors).
Definitely, there would be loss of some information when generating LaTeX,
but I guess it still would be appreciated.  

In other word, the reasons for using TeX with DocBook XML (the current
state) and the reasons for generating LaTeX are different.  But I feel that
it would be good to have the possibility.

What is your opinion?

Regards,
  Petr

-- 
Petr Prikryl, Skil, spol. s r.o., (prikrylp@skil.cz)