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* Antwort auf eine Nachricht von Glenda Jeffrey an All am 05.07.95
GJ> Alexander Von_obert wrote:
GJ> > OK, you might be able to control the first print out of your
GJ> manual. But SGML
GJ> > is about converting and re-use of documents. And after the
GJ> first conversion,
GJ> > ALL final layout is TOTALLY automatic. This is one of the
GJ> areas the SGML
GJ> > company mentioned above has to earn it's money.
GJ> I disagree. This statement depends heavily on the composition
GJ> system being
GJ> used. The system we are using, for example, allows "touchups"
GJ> to be incorporated
GJ> in the text. These touchups control things like line and page
GJ> breaking, and hard/soft space.
OK, hard/soft space might survive. But I spoke with the head of a leading
German company doing such SGML set up work. And he told me, that they are
shure to be on the safe side, when they drop EVERY touch up during
conversions.
It is exactly as I told you: You might be able to fine-tune the first instance
of your document. But as soon as anyone really touches it, you can forget
about
line and page breaking and other fine-tuning.
One topic I did not want to touch before: If you use a bigger SGML system, the
system will not store your document in a conventional way: Part of the
information in your document will be used to define the place of the rest
within a data base. E.g. you write some information about a special kind of
motor and the parts number of that motor will not be in the document as it ist
stored in the data base. The parts number is in the data base.
And when the manufacturer of the motor is sold and the parts number system
adapted to the new owner's requirements, the next print out of your document
will have that new parts number in it. But the old number had 8 digits, the
new one has 12. And now look at your layout...
Greetings from Germany,
Alexander
--
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