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Subject:Re: PDF, SGML, and what else? From:Glenda Jeffrey <jeffrey -at- LEMOND -dot- HKS -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 24 Mar 1995 08:45:38 -0500
On Mar 24, Leonor Ciarlone <lciarlone -at- NORWOOD -dot- INTELLUTION -dot- COM> wrote:
> ... I would like take our
> paper-based doc (conceptual, graphical, linear
> material, application-oriented) and provide it online as a
> standalone system. Acceptable printing capabilities
> required for users unhappy with this choice.
> The question is this: The book-based viewer market seems
> smaller than I thought in terms of source format.
> Postscript/PDF will get to Adobe/Wordperfect and SGML has
> many choices (but a daunting road even with converters).
SGML isn't all that bad if you are starting from a fairly prevalent
format like Frame MIF. I know of at least one conversion program that
will help you get to SGML from MIF, as long as you don't have any
equations in your documents. (We do -- that's why we're not going
in this direction.) I'm referring to Electronic Book Technology's
DynaTag product. DynaTag is a GUI-based program that helps you convert
from Frame paragraph styles & fonts into an SGML/stylesheet pair.
Check out http://www.ebt.com for more info.
In addition, Frame has just signed an OEM agreement with Hal software
(makers of the Olias SGML viewer), so things may dramatically improve
on the Frame end of things, where SGML is concerned.
There is also FrameViewer, which is a page-centric viewing package.
(It's really FrameMaker with the editting stripped out.)
In any case, if you are starting from Frame, your print requirement
is already solved since you can of course print directly from Frame.
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in any of these companies
except that we are current Frame users, and have been looking
closely at EBT. Just passing along what little I know ;-)
--
Glenda Jeffrey Email: jeffrey -at- hks -dot- com
Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Inc Phone: 401-727-4200
1080 Main St. Fax: 401-727-4208
Pawtucket, RI 02860