OT: applause for XML discussions

["Jason Aiken" <jason.aiken@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've sunk into the lower echelons of list-user-hood, often lurking for weeks without so much as reading more than 20% of the posts in the digest. The XML discussion that has come up recently is really cool, demonstrating a convergence of thought between the users and the tools developers. The oft-heard and seldom-understood term "XML" is subject to a myriad of perceptions, all of them slightly distorted through the lens of one's own work flows and requirements. No matter how you define it, unless you're working in a relatively small publishing house with an unlimited budget for personnel and no reason to think about the non-English speaking world, XML is always better than copy-paste in Frame.

SGML/XML systems really open doors for anyone who truly understands the inherent long term value of owning and distributing their data in meaningful, efficient ways. No, it might not be necessary/available for everyone, but it really brings business-practical credence to the concepts of single-sourcing, database publishing, reuse/sharing of data, translation memory, and automated publishing. As various pressures influence us to develop more information at higher speeds with fewer authors, something has to change.

It's true that there are numerous excellent solutions out there for PDF solutions (kudos to Shlomo for unleashing some frontiers there), vanilla Frame plug-ins (Nigel, Chris, Rick, and others' stuff is way cool), database/single-source publishing with vanilla Frame, and automation to Frame documents via FrameScript, perl, FDK, etc. However, if you're publishing department is growing faster than you're receiving budgets for new headcount or you suddenly have to publish in ten languages, then it's time to step back, do the proper research, make the business case, and start planning for something better. Implemenation may take years, but does that stop you from contributing to your retirement savings?

There are some nifty possibilities out there, many of which cost huge sums of cash, but when the paybacks roll in on cycle time, data reuse, enhanced translation memory, and slower progression of headcount growth, the benefits will soon far outweigh the minor spike in costs for the short term.

I'm happy to see this sort of dialogue take place, as always. Change can be a good thing and automated publishing can be easier for writers. I'm looking forward to the future development of FrameMaker in this realm, always remaining optimistic that it will become an ever greater supertool and take over the world. Well, something like that anyway.

On the more practical side, could someone post some useful XML links or available white papers to the list so that those considering this issue (or seeking to know how it does truly differ from copy-paste) can be more informed?

One such resource (with links to the worldwide consortium and elsewhere) is http://xslt.com. Some very nice white papers have occasionally been disseminated from Framers conferences, Lori DeFurio, Kay Ethier, and (my favorite) that one* called "What the Hell is XML?"

Best regards and happy Frame-raving all,
Jason "Frame Templar" Aiken
still workin' on gettin' that FM+SGML/Arbortext comparison feedback compiled
* was that from you, Grant? I can't check cuz I no longer have it around, sorry.


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