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Re: nwalsh and XML vs SGML [Fwd: First Open Source Documentation Summit at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention]
On Jul 19, 3:50pm, Gary Lawrence Murphy wrote:
> Subject: Re: nwalsh and XML vs SGML [Fwd: First Open Source
Documentation
> >>>>> "G" == Greg Ferguson <gferg@hoop.timonium.sgi.com> writes:
>
> G> .. the presentation aspects in ldp.dsl or any other
> G> customized DSSSL stylesheet can be (or will need to be) carried
> G> over into any kind of XSL implementation...unless we use some
> G> default styles.
>
> Yes, but re-interpreted out of the functional-programming DSSSL idiom
> and expressed in the declarative XSL idiom. It's the old "write two
> programs, throw the first away"
Ahh, the price of progress...:-}
> G> There needs to be an underlying tranformation engine as
> G> well. Whether openjade or something else, we would have to look
> G> into that. For example, how would one create a pdf instance
> G> from only an XML doc instance and a set of XSL styelsheets?
>
> That is the question I am frightened to ask ;) I believe it currently
> boils down to Xalan and something called xmltex but haven't the time
> to poke sticks at either. It is true that the next generation of
> browsers will have XML support, but if you recall how long it took
> just to get stylesheets in all the browsers (and NS 4.73 is still
> hopelessly broken) don't hold your breath waiting for XML support.
Oh, don't worry, I won't! I've been preaching the same thing here
at our company.
> On top of that, a certain predatory company has already vowed to pervert
> that standard to discourage using any alternative browsers.
Gee, I find that hard to believe.
> Thus, for the forseeable future, the presentation formats will remail
> HTML, PDF and ASCII and, to my knowledge, there are no general tools
> for transforming docbookx to these formats via XSL --- if there are,
> someone please correct me. From what I understand, we can still use
> openjade/opensp and DSSSL for the interim, but keep in mind that our
> DSL files are members of an endangered species.
>
> Norm's site and the DocBook Guide mention XML and XSL with examples,
> but only describe DSSSL in enough detail to actually lead to a printed
> page. Add to this the general consensus that jadetex is the weakest
> link in our arguments for DocBook and it suggests a convergence to a
> crisis. I'm only guessing, but perhaps it is time to hunt down that
> xmltex thing and re-write the book on sgmltools.
Here's an article on "DSSSL for XML: Why not?"
http://www.xml.com/pub/2000/05/03/dsssl/index.html
In theory we could go this route, with little impact
on the existing publishing environment.
and here are a set of Open-source XML projects/tools:
http://www.xml.com/pub/Guide/Open_Source/
In particular, an open source (java) transformation
engine that creates PDF from XML doc:
http://www.xml.com/pub/r/FOP/
Time to do some reading.
r,
--
Greg Ferguson - s/w engr / mtlhd | gferg@sgi.com
SGI Tech Pubs - http://techpubs.sgi.com |
Linux Doc Project - http://www.linuxdoc.org |
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