RE: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help

["Bill Lawrence" <scribe -at- matrixplus -dot- com>]

> Unfortunately, I often find there's an awful lot of ideological purity
in
> the
> SGML/XML world that often, while grounded in some truth, isn't
necessarily
> helpful or useful in its implementation. One of these is the idea of a
> central
> data repository and standardised DTDs like Docbook.
> If the information has to perform multiple back and forth operations
> between
> multiple editors and creators, then those in that loop MUST be using
the
> same
> system. Or, at the very least, the systems at each end must be able to
> handle
> input that doesn't contain any specific extensions/definitions and
outputs
> to
> the central system by stripping the extensions. Or, some transparent
> method
> needs to be developed to move information in and out of the
repository. If
> code
> can be developed in a parallel fashion in CVS systems, surely
something
> similar
> could be done for shared XML.
> If on the otherhand, extensions and redefinitions are extremely
beneficial
> to
> the authors and editors and eventual sharing and reuse does not
include
> modification of information at both ends, the often slavish following
of
> SGML/XML purity or Docbook purity sometimes enters the realm of the
> absurd. All
> you have to ensure is that the data sent onwards into the larger
system
> conform
> to the vanilla DTD. And if you don't have an immediate need or
concrete
> future
> projected for interoperability, why waste current productivity and
> improved
> workflow for the sake of a pie in the sky possibility?
> The only point that would be of importance is that if you want to be
able
> to
> adopt other tools or processes as they are developed, track the
changes
> you make
> to the standard implementation so that any future new pieces to the
puzzle
> can
> easily be made to fit.

Agreed.  The XML community can get very pedantic about this.  I'm much
more pragmatic and tend to do whatever is expedient regardless of
philosophical arguments.

Bill Lawrence


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