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Subject:Re: Gut Reactions to SGML From:SuePStewrt -at- AOL -dot- COM Date:Tue, 6 Dec 1994 19:22:00 -0500
My "gut reaction" to SGML and how it reduces writer "drudgery" is that is a
movement in precisely the opposite direction from the rest of the world.
That is, it moves documentation/communication from customer-focused to
product-/vendor-focused.
Different kinds of information are best communicated in different ways.
Forcing everything to fit the same mold may make the job easier for the
writer/editor/communicator, but may not best serve the reader/user/customer.
Communication is not a manufacturing process, where the customer is almost
always benefited by increased speed and productivity resulting in reduced
cost.
I have seen some excellent presentations on SGML, and some excellent
discussions on this list, but I have yet to see an argument that it improves
comprehension or usabilty for the READER.
After some decades of experience with panty hose, I am very suspicious of any
claim along the lines of "one size fits all"!
