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Subject:Re: RE: XML in documentation From:Chris Despopoulos <cud -at- arrakis -dot- es> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 17 Dec 1999 09:39:49 +0100
One thing about Maker and XML... True, you cannot import
XML in Maker, and I believe that is a weakness. However,
you can use Maker+SGML to create SGML, which you can set up
for complete round trips. If XML is a requirement, you can
set up an XML save (sans auto-CSS, although I suppose you
can develop some CSS for your manual, or even use the FDK to
generate one from the current document). While this isn't
perfect, you can work in the SGML world, and then save as
XML at the last minute.
Have I done this? No... I have only worked with SGML.
As for what XML can buy you *today* over SGML, I think the
main advantages are URLs for external data. The hype says
you can work without a DTD, but I doubt that claim is useful
for *creating* the sort of documents this list is interested
in. Please correct me if you think I'm wrong. But I
believe the true advantage of life sans DTD is that you can
*send* XML to anybody. And so I think for now one can use
SGML as the data source, and generate XML at the last
minute... While that may not be perfect, it may be the
usual evolution. I believe the first real-world XML
deployments will come from people who've already deployed
SGML.
