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Subject:To SGML or Not to SGML? From:Carl Stieren <stieren -at- DEV -dot- SIMWARE -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 2 Mar 1995 12:54:29 -0500
Dear Colleagues:
Our firm, Simware, Inc. of Ottawa, Canada, is considering future
directions. We are a firm producing remote connectivity software (A2B,
REXXWARE), with slightly more than 100 employees, including 3.5 technical
writers. Our documentation is currently Microsoft Word-based, and we are
just finishing migrating from Word 4.0 for the Mac to Word 6.0c for Windows.
We produce Windows help files, using RoboHelp 2.6 and the HCP help compiler,
and we also produce hard copy books.
We are looking at future directions, including possibly FrameMaker,
FrameBuilder, or SGML.
We are interested in the experiences of others who have gone to SGML.
Please complete the following survey. The results will be published in this
list in a week.
FOR ANYONE WHO IS CURRENTLY USING SGML:
1. How many employees do you have?
2. How many of these employees work in your documentation department?
3. When did you start using SGML?
4. Which software tools do you use, and on which platform?
4. Which DTD do you use?
a) DOCBOOK DTD
b) another public DTD
c) a DTD your firm created
5. In which end formats do your users get the SGML docs?
a) the largest chunk of your users
b) the next largest chunk of your users
c) other formats used by users
6. How long did it take you
a) to set up your SGML tagging, validating software and hardware
b) to train your staff
7. We have been given an offer to serve as a pilot site for the construction
of a dedicated Internet SGML/HTML node for corporate users. If we accepted
this offer, would we be
a) wise
b) foolish
c) just a year or so too early
Carl Stieren.................Technical Writer.................Simware, Inc
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|"The earth to be spann'd, connected by net-work... |
| The oceans to be cross'd, the distant brought near, |
| The lands to be welded together." (W. Whitman, d. 1892) |
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stieren -at- dev -dot- simware -dot- com -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- -dot- Ottawa, CANADA
I write documents for, but do not speak on behalf of Simware.
