[ZDP] FAQ Tool Working Group

Martijn Faassen M.Faassen@vet.uu.nl
Tue, 09 Mar 1999 18:43:25 +0100


Robert OConnor wrote:

[snip] 
> it seems that XML is more web oriented:

It is; it's a web standard. Basically XML is a simplified version of
SGML intended to be used on the web. Not that I know much more about it
than that. :)

[snip]
> "... For high-end, highly structured
> publishing applications, SGML will continue to fit the bill. ..."

The Zope FAQ (along with other documentation) of course hangs between
the web and publishing (on paper). Digital Creations also offers PDF
versions of their manuals, for instance.

> Is there a version of Docbook that is XML?

Not that I know of. I think it's strictly SGML.

My main experience with SGML is the Linux SGML tools, currently in their
second incarnation. With these you can write a document in SGML
(previously in LinuxDoc format, but now in the more extensive DocBook
format). You can then with a single command turn this SGML source into
ascii text, postscript, rich text, HTML, and probably some other formats
as well. This is cool. :)

Of course SGML or XML is not strictly necessary to have a nice FAQ. I'm
using plain ASCII (albeit in structured text) right now, after all. And
I'm just thinking about *output* in Docbook SGML (or any of the formats
Docbook SGML can then be translated to). This way people can download
FAQs in their format of choice. But again, these are all nice features
we don't really *need* or anything..
 
> I am "speaking" with little SGML and XML experience
> but I'm willing to learn...

Me too. Thanks!

Regards,

Martijn