discuss: DocBook is a catastrophe
Subject:
Re: [discuss] DocBook is a catastrophe
From:
Dan Scott ####@####.####
Date:
13 Dec 2005 14:01:00 -0000
Message-Id: <fbb0d11d0512130600t3aef43a2g246132a91258294b@mail.gmail.com>
Yaroslav:
Please re-read all of the previous lengthy, exhaustive, time- and
energy-wasting, and completely unproductive threads on this subject.
My summary: LDP accepts Linuxdoc or DocBook-sourced documents, or any
other format as long as you're willing to wait for a volunteer to
convert it to Linuxdoc or DocBook.
Dan
On 12/13/05, Yaroslav Fedevych ####@####.#### wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 12, 2005 at 08:51:38PM -0600, David Horton wrote:
> > Yves Bellefeuille wrote:
> > >My Hard Disk Upgrade Mini How-To has been part of the LDP since July
> > >1997. I'm working on another How-To, and I've been trying to learn
> > >DocBook. I'm convinced that this format, at present, is a catastrophe,
> > >and that we're discouraging many possible contributors by using it.
> > >
> > >DocBook is the COBOL of mark-up languages. It's incredibly verbose, and
> > >doing anything takes much longer than it should.
> > >
> > >Perhaps there's a tool to help prepare mark-up, but if so, it's a
> > >well-kept secret. The LDP Author Guide recommends Eric Raymond's
> > >"DocBook Demystification HOWTO", and it bluntly states that:
> > >
> > > "One thing we presently do not have is a good open-source structure
> > > editor for SGML/XML documents."
> > >
> > >and that:
> > >
> > > "Most people still hack the tags by hand using either vi or emacs."
> > >
> > >I did try "txt2docbook". It produces DocBook all right, but it's
> > >completely based on appearance, not structure. It has lots of <para>
> > >commands, and nothing at all for tables and program listings and so on.
> > >You might as well use HTML and <pre>.
> > >
> > >I'm convinced that we're shooting ourselves in the foot by recommending
> > >DocBook at this time.
> > >
> >
> > There is a nice GUI editor from XMLMind that makes writing DocBook very
> > easy on the author. Their personal edition is a free download. A short
> > tutorial at http://www.happy-monkey.net/docbook/gui-editor.html can get
> > you started quickly.
> >
> > Dave
> >
>
> And what if I cannot/don't want to use any GUI editor (or wish to not
> stick with proprietary software)? Shoot myself in the foot?
>
> > http://www.happy-monkey.net/docbook/gui-editor.html
> That domain name well speaks for itself. Is there something for mentally-
> enabled humans?
>
> By the way, conversion from DocBook to PS/PDF is terrible; in case of a
> large document, it's hardly _possible_. The only good conversion is done
> to HTML and to plain text (because there is lynx which does its job).
>
> XML _sucks_. Even LaTeX is not as verbose, and can still handle
> semantics of your text.
>
> --
> * For some reason, the United States is the only country on Earth
> where accidents don't happen . it's always somebody's fault, and you
> can sue that somebody for neglect.
>
>
> ______________________
> http://lists.tldp.org/
>
>
