Re: (sgml vs XML)+indexing

["David C. Mason" <dcm redhat com>]

Dan Mueth <d-mueth uchicago edu> writes:

> As for (1), Dave Mason is really the guru here.  The short answer is
> the free tools which are available to us are not yet ready to our
> satisfaction.  Parts of the solution are ready, and parts aren't.
> We can't really move over until we have a complete solution.  I'll
> have to defer the details to Dave who knows the status of each part.
> But I spent about an hour trying to convince him to move to XML and
> he very skillfully explained why we should not, even though I can't
> remember all the details now.


The *main* reason for not moving to XML, at this point, has to do with
making sure that new writers (and old ones) have easy tools to use for
processing their docs so they can be seen for editing, and produced
for distribution.

The main sticking point is that the free tools for DocBook right now
are for SGML... due to the fact that so many of us have been using the
SGML version for so long, and no one has enough time to invest in
updating those tools to process XML.

The second problem is that the best parsers and XSL engines available
right now are used in a Java environment. While this presents no
problem for our Sun friends, those of us using Linux or BSDs (the
majority of GDP members) know all too well that the jdk and jvms for
our OSes are absolutely horrible. 

This has nothing to do with our OSes... rather a problem the present
state of the Java culture. Until Java opens up, or people finish open
versions of these things, using these XML tools is just not productive
at this point for all GDP members.

It is true that one can use XML with DSSSL through Jade (almost as we
us our SGML docs currently) but again, this means the tools have to be
updated, all writers have to move to XML packages, and if any changes
occur, learn those. 

That is why, at least for GNOME 1.4, it is just not a good idea to
move. We have a working environment for writers, and until we solve
some tool problems we should not present hard-to-follow methods for
using XML just because, on some level, we want to move to it.

We have to keep in mind that we have new people joining everyday. On
top of having to learn DocBook, and understanding SGML/XML, these
people have to learn tools that may be very foreign to them. We have
to be as nice as we possibly can to our volunteers and make it as easy
as it can be... or, we get no volunteers. In GNOME that is a
punishable crime.


Cheers,

Dave
-- 


David Mason
Red Hat Advanced Development Labs
dcm redhat com (919)547-0012 x248