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Subject: Re: Moving DocBook to the next step


Hi Mary,

On behalf of the DocBook TC, I would like to submit DocBook V4.5 for
balloting as an OASIS Standard. Could you please let me know if there
is anything missing from the request:

>   1. Links to the approved Committee Specification in the TC's
>      document repository, and any appropriate supplemental
>      documentation for the specification, both of which must be
>      written using the OASIS templates. The specification may not
>      have been changed between its approval as a Committee
>      Specification and its submission to OASIS for consideration as
>      an OASIS Standard, except for the changes on the title page and
>      running footer noting the approval status and date.

The Committee Specification is available in HTML[1] and PDF[2] from
the DocBook TC document repository. The schemas are available from
the OASIS website at http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5CR2/

>   2. The editable version of all files that are part of the Committee
>      Specification;

The XML[3] source is available from the DocBook TC document
repository.

>   3. Certification by the TC that all schema and XML instances
>      included in the specification, whether by inclusion or
>      reference, including fragments of such, are well formed, and
>      that all expressions are valid;

I so certify.

>   4. A clear English-language summary of the specification;

DocBook is general purpose XML and SGML document type particularly
well suited to books and papers about computer hardware and software
(though it is by no means limited to these applications).

The DocBook Technical Committee maintains the DocBook schema. DocBook
is officially available as a Document Type Definition (DTD) for both
XML and SGML. It is unofficially available in other forms as well.

The Version 4.5 release is a maintainance release. It introduces no
backwards-incompatible changes. All valid DocBook 4.4 documents are
also valid DocBook 4.5 documents.

>   5. A statement regarding the relationship of this specification to
>      similar work of other OASIS TCs or other standards developing
>      organizations;

DocBook is a markup vocabulary for describing human-readable prose
(books, topics, help information, product descriptions, etc.) by
identifying the components of that prose that are of semantic interest
in computer hardware and software documentation.

It falls in the same general category of markup as DITA, W3C's XML
Spec DTD, and to some extent HTML. Each of these vocabularies is
designed for describing prose, but each has a somewhat different
approach. Unlike the Open Document Format work, DocBook does not
attempt to capture any significant amount of style information.

>   6. Certification by at least three OASIS member organizations that
>      they are successfully using the specification;

Sun[4], PTC-Arbortext[5], and Flatirons Solutions[6] all assert that
they are using DocBook V4.5 successfully.

>   7. The beginning and ending dates of the public review(s), a
>      pointer to the announcement of the public review(s), and a
>      pointer to an account of each of the comments/issues raised
>      during the public review period(s), along with its resolution;

The public review period was 04 Aug 2005 to 03 Oct 2005 as
announced[7] by the TC Administrator.

No comments were raised during the comment period. One minor issue
raised after the official comment period[8] has been resolved[9].

>   8. An account of and results of the voting to approve the
>      specification as a Committee Specification, including the date
>      of the ballot and a pointer to the ballot;

The TC voted to move to Committee Specification[10] on 10 Apr 2006.
The ballot was passed with 10 of 11 members voting "yes" and one
member neglecting to vote.

>   9. An account of or pointer to votes and comments received in any
>      earlier attempts to standardize substantially the same
>      specification, together with the originating TC's response to
>      each comment;

The previous attempt succeeded in producing DocBook V4.1 as an OASIS
Standard.

>  10. A pointer to the publicly visible comments archive for the
>      originating TC;

Comments and discussion occur on the DocBook list[11].

>  11. A pointer to any minority reports submitted by one or more
>      Members who did not vote in favor of approving the Committee
>      Specification, which report may include statements regarding why
>      the member voted against the specification or that the member
>      believes that Substantive Changes were made which have not gone
>      through public review; or certification by the Chair that no
>      minority reports exist.

No minority reports were submitted.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

[1] http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/docbook/download.php/17691/docbook.html
[2] http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/docbook/download.php/17692/docbook.pdf
[3] http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/docbook/download.php/17690/docbook.xml
[4] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/docbook-tc/200604/msg00015.html
[5] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/docbook-tc/200604/msg00020.html
[6] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/docbook-tc/200604/msg00025.html
[7] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/tc-announce/200508/msg00001.html
[8] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/docbook/200602/msg00024.html
[9] http://docbook.org/specs/docbook-4.5-spec-cs-02.html#s.cs
[10] http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/docbook/ballot.php?id=994
[11] http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/docbook/

-- 
Norman Walsh <ndw@nwalsh.com>      | Nothing will ever be attempted, if
http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/ | all possible objections must be
Chair, DocBook Technical Committee | first overcome.--Dr. Johnson

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