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Mark Baker wrote:
> People can write sloppy HTML or sloppy DocBook.
There
> is lots of sloppy DocBook out there. And if there
> isn't more it is only because so few people use
> DocBook.
And when semantically aware tools are available,
authors will be writing sloppy RDF or OWL or whatever.
The purpose of all of these tools is to provide some
new benefit or capability, not to eliminate human
error.
DocBook was developed as a pragmatic solution; it
never claimed to be semantically sophisticated. And
even the DocBook maintainers are aware that the
DocBook DTD is dated and contains much cruft, but it
still keeps creaking along nicely.
> The problem is to get authors to apply the styles
> correctly, and you have exactly the same problem
> with DOCBOOK: getting authors to use the structural
> elements correctly...Inventing your own smaller,
> stricter, more specific language for this purpose
> will make life much easier for both authors and
> those who do the processing.
If I had to build a car every time I needed to drive
to the supermarket, I'd starve to death.
Most industries *do* have domain-specific DTDs or
other specs for exchanging data. DocBook is a
domain-specific DTD for technical authors. Sure you
can build your own if you like, but most of us don't
need to.
Mike O.
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