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Subject: Re: DOCBOOK: On the size of DocBook...


At 12:42 06/09/2002, Michael Smith wrote:

>Anyway, about the question at the end of number 3 above -- But what will
>that do to interchange? -- It seems like interchange isn't an issue if
>
>  * the customized DTDs are strict subsets of the complete DTD
>
>  * and users/user communities treat their customized DTDs as "authoring
>    DTDs" and continue to use the full DTD for validation (that is,
>    don't expect that DTDs that others interchange with their community
>    will validate against their custom authoring-DTD subset)

I had an 'ah ha' moment at xml-extreme this year.
People don't give a ... about markup validity. Its our XML tools that do.
The 'authoring' environment vs the 'interchange' environment?
Hence Michaels point is quite valid. If they are all good subsets then we
shouldn't see that problem.



>One of the values of having a set of standard strict-subset authoring
>DTDs is that would be carefully considered by the TC, potentially a lot
>more carefully than possibly-not-compatible-with-one-antoher ad-hoc
>custom authoring DTDs that users from the same community might end up
>creating and propagating and using.

What impact might that have on the stylesheets Norm?
Divergent sets of stylesheets for pizza slices?


>  
>What I mean is, I think maybe there are some identifiable DocBook user
>sub-communities within which users have the same basic markup needs --
>their needs within their community are not that radically different from
>one another. If the TC doesn't produce a subset that meets their needs,
>and that community is not well-organized enough to produce a suitable
>custom authoring DTD on its own, we risk having individual users within
>those communities producing conflicting, sub-optimal customizations.

IMO it's the combination of dtd and stylesheets that make it what it is.
One without the other would be a minor nicety.


>My experience is that users and user communities -- especially those
>that might be considered "casual document authors" (for example,
>individual open-source developers who write docs for their own
>applications) really, really, don't like to be told, "DocBook is highly
>customizable -- go ahead and customize it to meet your needs".
>
>It seems like what they want typically want instead is something that
>"just works right off the shelf".

Bottom line its just too hard unless you've been there before?
Time could be better spent elsewhere.

>That's it for now. But I really hope we can continue the discussion
>about this and maybe arrive at some resolutions.

Picking up Pauls point, user demand is for 'less necessity' for
customisation, i.e. easier out of the box usage.

Less tags in a vertical slice of pizza, i.e. still valid to 
BBdocbook (big brother), but 'appropriate' to my niche?
The stylesheets? I'd leave that to Norm. I have a nasty feeling
they *could* ride such a divide?

regards DaveP




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