DOCBOOK-APPS: FrameMaker (was: Re: DOCBOOK: Just setting up)

[Anders Kühne <Anders dot K at primebase dot com>]

Hi Linda,

on Tue, June 19, you wrote:

> I have just installed Frame + SGML and want to create documents and a
> template based on Docbook elements with the final goal being a
> documentation set in XML.

Having tried the same just a few weeks ago, I can give you a simple, 
yet comprehensive answer: Doesn't work.  At least if you're going to 
use anything like contemporary DocBook.  FM+SGML (v6.0) crashes when 
reading the DTD (i.e. when trying to compile an EDD from it).  Contrary 
to some advice I found in the archives of this list, this is not (only) 
due to FM's not-really-out-of-the-box XML support, but happens with 
DocBook SGML 4.1 as well.  After some fiddling around I succeeded in 
loading 3.1 (SGML) -- which, in a way, is _much_ better than the 
'Starter Kit' provided by Adobe, based on DocBook 2.1.2 from an age 
when not even a draft of XML existed.

> Does anyone know of any information resources that will explain how I
> can set Frame up to use Docbook, the document templates that were
> provided with Frame have no elements in them. How do I import the
> Docbook elements and from which file can I import the elements?

In case you're really committed to push the Frame option any further 
(or in case you just want to make sure it's neither your nor my 
incompetence leading to those desastrous results), you might want to 
read about the passions of Daniel K. Schneider, a teacher at the 
University of Geneve, on http://tecfa.unige.ch/guides/xml/frame-sgml/ . 
Could save you lots of nerves and time -- in either case, a.s.a.  (By 
the way: DKS reports the same crash behavior I observed under NT 4.0 
from his University's Solaris system -- so that's most probably not a 
special feature from Redmond this time).

There once was a kind of user forum on Adobe's site, but I couldn't 
reach it neither then nor now.

> Thanks for any help or pointers to where I can find some basic,
> useful information.
>
> Linda Jarvis

Er ... well ... you're welcome ...

	Anders