PDF files (was Gnome user's guide line length?)

[Pat Costello <Patrick Costello Sun COM>]

John, 

Here is my extended response to the question about PDF files. The Sun team can 
provide community-specific PDF files to the same standard as the PDF files on 
docs.sun.com, however there are several things that you need to be aware of 
first. This is rather a long mail, but I want to make sure that all angles are 
covered. 

Identity
--------

We can create PDF files with the following characteristics: 

Each book: 

- Does not contain the Sun logo.
- Does not have a Sun identity as such.
- Uses Sun publishing conventions, see the System Admin Guide on gnome.org/learn 
for an example.

Tools
-----

We create the PDF files from modified sgml, using Sun publishing tools. 

Books
-----

We can create PDF files for all of the books that we are creating originally in 
sgml. At the moment these books are as follows: 

- User Guide.
- System Administration Guide.
- Accessibility Guide.

Varieties
---------

We can provide the following deliverables to cover all user requirements: 

- xml files with conditionalized-out illustrations for Yelp viewing.
- html files with all illustrations for online viewing of the full books. 
- PDF files for online viewing or printing out of full books. 

Tradeoffs
---------

Benefits of using the Sun route for creating community PDFs are as follows: 

Each book:  

- Includes properly-scaled screenshots.
- Includes an index.
- Contains correct section numbering, if required.
- Includes revision history table as per GFDL requirements.

The process:

- Uses a tried and trusted template complying with all typographical standards.
- Uses established page layout rules. 
- Is repeatable for major updates.
- Eliminates errors or glitches.

However on the other hand, the use of the Sun template for PDFs implies: 

Each book: 

- Does not include color illustrations, i.e black-and-while illos only.
- Does not include a TOC in the side pane when viewed online. There is, of 
course, a standard TOC generated in the book front matter.
- Exhibits differences in rendering of some tags, specifically gui* tags.

The process: 

- Works only with books that are in sgml originals. 

Conclusion
----------

We can provide PDFs for the books mentioned above, within the parameters 
discussed, until the PDF creation process being developed by Jeff Waugh comes 
online. 

Pat