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Subject:SGML From:scot <scot -at- HCI -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Tue, 19 Dec 1995 15:52:32 +1100
I am resending this, as for some odd reason the listserver thought the
message was a duplicate. I've no idea why -- i only sent it the once.
>>I'm curious: why would anyone choose to author in SGML? My group did some
>>investigation and it seemed like an extremely complicated way to get the
>>job done. With tools like HTML and Bristol Technology's HyperHelp, why
>>would anyone need to mess with DTDs and SGML?
>>
>>The only thing we could come up with was that people had to use SGML
>>because of government contracts, etc.
>>
>>I would be extremely interested to know why anyone chose to go the SGML
>>route. What were you gaining? Why didn't you choose other tools to
>>accomplish the same thing?
>>
>>If you feel there are some extremely compelling reasons to choose SGML,
>>please let me know. I would appreciate any feedback to help us make our
>>decision about which tools to use to develop online help.
>Simple. When your client wants to use the same information in several
>formats. for example, a client of ours wants to put their manuals into HTML
>so their clients can either access it off their own web site (the doco being
>shipped to them on CD-ROM) or use our client's. On the other hand, there's
>no pleasing some people and they want the manuals in a paper format.
>Storing the information in a single format and pouring it out into the right
>container when needed means SGML is the best option.
>Also there's the problem of electronic doco -- our client supports several
>platforms not all of which necessarily has 'Hyperhelp' type app available
>(hence the HTML delivery).
>Besides, HTML is already a subset of SGML. Dynaweb, from EBT, will take an
>SGML document and serve it up to a web browser without any messy conversions
>(as far as I can tell, we are in the early stages of evaluating this
>technology).
