Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help

Subject: Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help
From: David Neeley <dbneeley -at- oddpost -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 13:36:49 -0800 (PST)


With all this talk about Frame being "excessive" in some way as an SGML or XML editor--mostly by folks who apparently aren't all that *familiar* with structured Frame--perhaps my own initial experience with structured Frame may be instructive.

I had *never* used Frame +SGML when I arrived as a contract tech writer at Nortel (although I had used Frame in its native mode before). I was writing and revising documents in structured Frame the first day on the job. The output was straight SGML when we wanted that, and the various appearance issues were already taken care of in the design of the EDD.

I am *not* a "tool bigot" particularly, although I'll admit to a fairly pronounced abhorrance of Word as a documentation tool. However, for writers new to SGML or XML, I have yet to find a tool as easy to learn and become productive with as Frame in structured mode is--provided there is a properly written EDD in use.

To waste all this time on trying to relegate Frame to only a specialized role seems to me to be silly. Instead, why not convince me about the advantages of another method or process? Since the folks who make the most noise regarding Frame simply don't seem to be familiar with it, I for one would find it more instructive by far.

As I have said several times in the past, I do think a tool which words somewhat like Lyx but which is an XML-aware authoring tool would be far superior to anything I have yet seen. I quite agree that working in XML without worry about formatting would be the best method of all.

Structured Frame does that, actually, although I too think its approach leaves much to be desired. However, so do all the other XML authoring tools and environments I have seen so far.

I also like Mark's example of a "forms based" interface custom built for authoring for a particular need and using a well-crafted DTD. Of course, the same thing could be done with, say, simplified DocBook, if that suited the organization's needs...which is where I believe his argument may fail (although I suspect much of his points are more for rhetorical impact than literal statements of fact: "DocBook is not XML"--however much he repeats it, it is in substantial fact incorrect. *OF COURSE* DocBook is XML. It's not *ALL* of XML, but it certainly is XML!).

David



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References:
Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help: From: Sean Wheller

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