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Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help
Subject:Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help From:Sean Wheller <seanwhe -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 11 Dec 2003 07:24:54 -0800 (PST)
--- David Knopf <david -at- knopf -dot- com> wrote:
> Sean Wheller wrote:
>
> >I don't know about Frame and Docbook. I do know
> that
> >there is a Frame + SGML.
>
> FrameMaker 7 (as well as Frame+SGML6) both support
> DocBook.
Good to know.
>
> IME and IMO, DocBook is typically overkill for
> online user assistance.
> An XML solution much simpler than DocBook can
> certainly be implemented,
> though.
Yes and no. I always like to ensure that my
applications are robust enough to scale and flex with
changes in requirements.
In addition, I am not sure that everyone has the
expertise or the time that is required in order to
design a DTD from scratch.
Starting with something like Docbook or even DITA
accelerates implementation. Factors such as support
are also important. Docbook and DITA have large
communities. Not only does this make it easier to get
help, but it is also easier to get authors that
already know Docbook or DITA.
If given a choice I would move in the direction of a
standard and open option, as apposed to moving in the
proprietary direction.
In Karen's case she wants dynamic or user specific
content delivery within her applications. I thought
that the Docbook profiling techniques would be of
great value to her project. The application is made
simpler by the fact that they only want HTML (though I
would opt for XHTML). Transformation of the Docbook
XML sources by profile to multiple targets is
realistically achievable using Docbook. To go from
scratch to this level could cost both time and money.
By the sounds of things, neither is luxury that can be
afforded.
Many tools, also bundle all the processors required
for the tool and even the a number of DTD's. I know
that the Oxygen XML Editor bundles Saxon. Xalan,
Xerces, Apache FOP, Docbook DTD and TEI DTD. It also
does the setup of XML catalogs. To boot it is Java, so
portability is not a problem. Java - Ya gotta luv
it:-)
Sean Wheller
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