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well, I am not sure either if "plain" XML based technical publications will
make it. However, if you are already SGML based, it should not be to hard
to scale down to XML.
Concerning PDF, I don't think that the days of PDF are numbered because of
XML. In fact, it is very likely that both format will coexist, and I would
not be surprised if XML could be used for adding the structure information
to PDF. And this then means that PDF will make use of XML. It is also
possible for the PDF format to embed other elements, which can be XML
based, for example.
It might be possible that XML will help/force people to think more in
structures, which is certainly good for technical writing.
Just my Zweiräppler
Max Wyss
PRODOK Engineering
Low Paper workflows, Smart documents, PDF forms
CH-8906 Bonstetten, Switzerland
I'm not convinced tech pubs *needs* XML. Obviously, the styleset is limited,
compared to the tools (FrameMaker, Word) that we use, and the printing
industry is firmly grounded in PostScript . . . and PDF does pretty well for
online content, along with HTML-based help.
XML does bring the same structure to tech pubs that most of us have already,
and certainly with no improvement over SGML.
However, XML is here. We will be assimilated. At a minimum, we need to know
and understand XML to document it and its application. XML is also likely to
become the way to provide web content . . . are the days of PDF numbered?
XML will likely permit those of us with large budgets and big departments to
more easily include and share video, audio, and smell with our web-based
documentation . . . just kidding about the smell <g>.
