Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:00:52 -0400 From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@chuckr.org> To: Bob Johnson <fbsdlists@gmail.com> Cc: Greg Barniskis <nalists@scls.lib.wi.us>, freebsd-questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: formatting tools for Docbook Message-ID: <4491D894.9010909@chuckr.org> In-Reply-To: <54db43990606151444p58169468l36a66814bc6d8425@mail.gmail.com> References: <448E5692.1070105@chuckr.org> <448EC4A6.50808@scls.lib.wi.us> <4491B189.3020201@chuckr.org> <54db43990606151444p58169468l36a66814bc6d8425@mail.gmail.com>
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Bob Johnson wrote: > On 6/15/06, Chuck Robey <chuckr@chuckr.org> wrote: > >> Greg Barniskis wrote: >> >> > Chuck Robey wrote: >> > >> docs, because then no one else would be able to use my documents. Am I >> wrong in considering the FDP generated documentation as being in that >> category, not terribly uselful outside the FreeBSD project. > > > I believe you are wrong, or I misunderstand the question. > > I haven't used XML DocBook, but I've used DocBook with DSSSL. I > assume what you are really asking is not whether the FreeBSD > extensions to the DocBook markup language are a problem (they aren't), > but whether the stylesheets used by FreeBSD are compatible with those > on other systems. They are (or they claim to be, as I said I haven't > actually used the XML/XSL tools yet). > > To clarify: the real issue for me, and probably what you are really > referring to, is that the output format is not defined by the DocBook > markup, but by the stylesheets (or equivalent) in the tool set used to > produce the output. That's both the advantage and disadvantage of > Docbook (and SGML in general). If you want strict control of the > output format, then you run into the problem of a standard stylesheet > format so you can also distribute your stylesheets along with your > marked up documents. DSSSL stylesheets are an incredible pain to > modify, and I sympathize with your desire to avoid them. XSL > stylesheets are becoming a widely accepted standard, so that's the way > to go, and since they are pretty much a standard, the details of what > tools you use to do your document rendering shouldn't matter. > > If you need to modify the "standard" XSL stylesheets to meet your > needs, just distribute the modified stylesheets along with your marked > up documents and that should allow the person at the other end to > duplicate your output. The FreeBSD XML DocBook tool set claims to use > XSL stylesheets, so as I said, the answer to your question should be > "no, the tools are not FreeBSD specific". > > Is that explanation helping at all, or am I way off track? And have I > said anything that is just flat wrong? > > You may also want to look at > http://wiki.docbook.org/topic/DocBookXslStylesheets if you haven't > already. > This sort of response, answering questions I never asked, is exactly why, in my original post, I pleaded with folks not to respond if they had not, themselves, used the ports to create Docbook (NOT FDP!) documents. I wasn't asking questions relating in any remote fashion to the FDP. It's a fine project, I make no criticism of them at all, but I do make a criticism of folks who try to hijack a thread so as to bang their own drum. I want to make Docbook documents, not FDP docs, and the extensions that FDP supplies, unless it leaves me 100% (not 98%) compatible with the latest Docbook schema (not tracking the FDP schema). I want to write docs for inter-communications with folks outside of FreeBSD, folks who aren't even aware of Unix at all. Please don't hijack my thread. If I try to use FDP-created docs, then I will not be able to send them out to folks who haven't any idea what FDP is, and I don't want that. That wasn't my question. Geeze, I feel badly enough about having to jump on someone ... the first fella, I replied to him privately, but you, in greatly exopanding the range of your hijacking (once the fist fella had snipped off my request not to do just what you did, you were I guess free to do that), I haven't any way to stopping you from destroying my thread, outside of blantly asking you to Stop It (PLEASE!).... BTW, I have had replies from others not on this list, and just those monitoring it from outside services, asking me to please forward any relies I get to them, so it's not just for me, that this info is wanted. > - Bob
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