Re: SGML, DTDs, EDDs, and FOSIs

["Becky Swanson" <becky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

Don't give up so soon.

FM does not use a FOSI (Format Output Specification Interpreter/Interface, I
think). A FOSI is more or less specific to a certain type of SGML interpreter
(i.e. Adept and a few others), though I don't know if FOSIs are compatible from
vendor to vendor. FOSIs are used to format the output of SMGL (or XML) documents
for printing. They set margins, fonts, sizes, spacing, indents, etc. to make the
document look like a document instead of a printout of a computer program.

Instead of a FOSI, FM uses an EDD, which FM's interpretation of the DTD and it
can also include formatting information. The formatting info can either be
hard-coded into the EDD (old-school), or tied to a classic FM template (more
flexible).

If you are working in FM, there is no reason to learn FOSIs. I have yet to see a
FOSI-to-EDD converter, though that might be handy if you are interested in all
the format codes being embedded in your EDD (no, thank you).

BTW, FOSI info is well-hidden because most SGML software vendors want to keep
their clients in the dark and over a barrel for big consulting fees to create
and modify FOSIs. That's why I like FM and EDDs. You don't even have to be a
programmer to learn or understand them. Lots of folks (including some Bombardier
folks) have come to some classes of mine to learn EDDs in short order.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Becky Swanson
www.benchmarkpubs.com



----- Original Message -----
From: <eric.dunn@ca.transport.bombardier.com>
To: "Nagai, Paul" <pnagai@inovant.com>; <Framers@FrameUsers.com>;
<Framers@omsys.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2002 1:40 PM
Subject: RE: SGML, DTDs, EDDs, and FOSIs




Nobody has replied yet. I think this is yet another of my questions that will go
unanswered.

In looking for info, I did come across a reference on XML.org that stated that
FOSI was soon to be abandoned and replaced by DSSSL. Not that I have any more
knowledge about DSSSL than I do about FOSI, but perhaps detailed FOSI knowledge
is not worth pursuing

Of course that changes my question into: Anybody know of any good resources on
DSSSL and migrating FOSI to DSSSL and DSSSL to EDD transforms?

Not sure that FOSI is dead quite yet though and will take a long time to go
away. After all the US military bases it's entire documentation effort on it.
Which explains both why ADEPT is so expensive and why FOSI information seems so
well hidden. ;-)

But then again the little I've learned seems to suggest that FOSI is a subset of
DSSSL.

Eric L. Dunn



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