Re: [xtm-wg] ANN: AsTMa, yet another Topic Map notation, but....

[Murray Altheim <murray.altheim@sun.com>]

Robert Barta wrote:
> 
> Dear *TM*,
> 
> In my quest to make the lifes of my students <lie>as simple as possible</lie>,
> I have devised another pidgin language for Topic Maps:
> 
>   http://topicmaps.bond.edu.au/astma/
> 
> The basic ideas are line-orientedness (go away you Windows-users) and
> a minimum of special characters. While the language does not have (yet)
> the expressiveness of XTM, it might maybe host TMCL and TMQL aspects
> in the future.
[...]

Robert,

I completely understand the desire to create a simplified authoring
syntax, absent a good GUI authoring tool. XTM was designed as an
interchange syntax, and while very unambiguous and readable, it's a 
lot of typing.

Are you aware of Linear Topic Map (LTM) notation, developed by Lars Marius
Garshol of Ontopia? It seems a shame to expend more energy in the creation
of yet another simplified authoring syntax, given that an LTM-to-XTM 
converter is already available. 

  http://www.ontopia.net/download/ltm.html

I myself have written an LTM converter, and use LTM to author almost
all of my topic maps. I can't imagine needing much more than that,
absent a real GUI-based XTM editor. AsTMa doesn't seem much better
than LTM, to be honest. I currently use LTM 1.0, with a 1.1 version 
looming. (I've been discussing changes with Lars Marius, and am hoping
to discuss this further with him in Montreal)

At some point I'd like to release my LTM converter (which is written
in Java) into open source. Time and lawyers intervene... *sigh*

Murray

BTW, this thread would probably be more appropriate on the mailing list
<topicmapmail@infoloom.com>, since it doesn't deal with XTM-WG issues.
...........................................................................
Murray Altheim, SGML/XML Grease Monkey  <mailto:murray.altheim&#64;sun.com>
XML Technology Center
Sun Microsystems, 1601 Willow Rd., MS UMPK17-102, Menlo Park, CA 94025

     i am going to see if i cannot reform insects in general
     i have constituted myself a missionary extraordinary 
     and minister plenipotentiary and entomological to bring
     idealism to the little struggling brothers -- archy (1927)

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