Re: Where, what and how - The future of DocBook

[Jorge Godoy <godoy at conectiva dot com>]

On Tue, 5 Dec 2000, pto@sslug.dk wrote:

> Agree. Can we get MANY people to use the tools?

What tools? DocBook XML + DSSSL + DSSSL processing tools OR DocBook
XML + XSL Stylesheets + XSL/XML able tools? 

I'm using the first solution mixed with both SGML and XML versions of
DocBook. All of Conectiva's documents (we're beggining with technical
stuff) are migrating to DocBook. Our books and booklets are being
written in DocBook.


As a big documentation project, LDP is also using DocBook. We've
implemented it and already have several documents marked accordingly
to DocBook DTD. 

> How do we get the tools working?
> - Which tools should the ordinary person download?
> - How are they installed?
> - Where is the first "lets try it" - example
> - Where is the tutorials?
> - Where is the full documentation?
> - Can we get standard Linux/*BSD distributions
>   to carry the tools?
> 
> These the the *KEY* questions to answer in the best
> possible way. I am sorry to say that I find it hard to
> find it.

OK. Try taking a look at my mess: http://bazar.conectiva.com.br/~godoy 
If you install the packages available there, you can ignore the
'tetex' ones (but make sure that you have it installed and in a
relatively new version).

I'm trying to gather together information about several things as I
need them (or need to explain them to somebody). I'm sorry but there
are some things in Portuguese and others in English. 


For the "full" documentation, you can try http://docbook.org --- and
buy the O'Reilly book; it's very good!


Standard Linux distributions such as Conectiva, Mandrake, Red Hat,
Debian, SuSE already have packages for DocBook usage.


>> James Clark's SP.
> 
> URL - again, download?, install?, howto? + full docs.

I'd suggest using OpenSP. 

http://openjade.sourceforge.net

> Who is making what at the moment for DocBook?

Development on DocBook or DocBook usage?

> Eg. IMT-2000 standardization (UMTS) - check
> http://www.3gpp.org -> all the work is Word-files.
> 
> I care a lot. I find that Word is eating WAY to much of
> the areas, where DocBook could have been cool. I think
> Word is preferred for many companies today - many do
> not consider DocBook - that is a shame - we can all
> agree on that!

Speak to them about information recuperability and for how long they
can have this same information available. What if they need to recover
some client information or document of a product that was written 5
years ago. Is Word able to do that? 

I confess I don't use Word for several years now (5, IIRC). I was a
Word heavy user, then I switched to LaTeX and now I'm on DocBook SGML
/ XML. 

With LaTeX or DocBook I'm sure that my document will look the same on
every machine I'm working. With Word I wasn't. 


> We have to IMHO!

In some aspects, IMHO, we have already done. 



See you,
-- 
Godoy. <godoy@conectiva.com>

Departamento de Publicações       Conectiva S.A.
Publishing Department             Conectiva Inc.