SGML to online and paper: your process?

[Robert Barlow-Busch <robert -at- FOCUS-SYSTEMS -dot- ON -dot- CA>]

I'm curious about how others who work with SGML move from the marked up
source to both online (HTML) and paper. Our company is seriously
considering producing an API library reference in SGML and we're currently
evaluating a proposal from a local SGML consultant.

We would like to authour the text files on our Macs and use CVS revision
control to check them into our UNIX system. We're trying to get a handle on
what's involved in gathering the SGML files from UNIX, parsing them on the
Mac, and using them to produce HTML and FrameMaker or Word files for paper
output. Our consultant is proposing to provide us with a custom filter that
creates HTML and RTF from the SGML source.

Our in-house developers feel that this filter should be a very simple
beast, and they don't like the thought of paying a lot of money for it --
especially since it would have to be changed for future projects. But
they're not sure how easy it is to change SGML tags into RTF or MIF (for
FrameMaker). Has anyone done this? I've downloaded Microsoft's RTF spec and
will soon read it.

Our consultant has recommended using InContext to authour our documents on
the Mac. It's fairly pricey, though, considering that this first project is
just a trial to evaluate the value of SGML. Do any of you use cheaper
editors that you like?

Thanks for any feedback; I look forward to hearing how others manage the
SGML to final product process.

Bob
robert -at- focus-systems -dot- on -dot- ca

_____________________________________________________________________________
Robert Barlow-Busch                         There's nothing like a good vowel
robert -at- focus-systems -dot- on -dot- ca                  movement after a day of feeling
Focus Automation Systems Inc.               consonated. . .