Re^2: doc-base and new: dhelp2dwww
## Nachricht vom 10.04.98 weitergeleitet
## Ursprung : doc-debian # lists.debian.org@243:9000/0
## Ersteller: Marco Budde@243:1000/1.15
Am 09.04.98 schrieb schwarz # monet.m.isar.de ...
Moin Christian!
CS> The discussion has shown clearly, that we can't please everyone by simply
CS> packaging up a few selected formats: different people prefer different
CS> formats, like HTML, HTML.gz, HTML.gz with fixed links, TEXT, PS, INFO,
CS> DVI, etc.
Well, Debian should support three format:
* HTML (online documentation - part a)
* INFO (online documentation - part b), for real unix hackers :)
* Postscript (for printing)
So where#s the problem to ship three documentation packets:
* foo-html.deb
* foo-info.deb
* foo-ps.deb
? With doc-base we have to ship two packets (sgml|texi and html). The
first solution is faster and produces better results.
CS> We did some research and found out that some conversions (like TEXI->info)
CS> are simple (i.e., run fast, don't require a lot of programs, aren't error
CS> prone, etc.) while others (like TEXI->HTML) can be a hard work (i.e., lots
CS> of tools required, compilation takes some time, etc.).
results look bad, take for example latex2html. This tool is very slow,
produces high load and the results a very bad (images in the false page,
missing characters, etc).
CS> 1. We ship HTML _and_ the documentation's source format (whether this
CS> is).
Did we?
CS> For example, the debian-policy package would ship HTML files and the SGML
CS> debiandoc source. Most users could read the manual with the HTML files,
CS> and if someone wants PS files, she can install debiandoc-sgml and tell
CS> doc-base to generate this file for her.
But a lot of people don#t have space for to formats on their disc (for
example my Debian machine has got a 250 MB hard disc!)
CS> documents, namely via menu and with .dwww-index files). Both systems have
CS> different designs (dhelp uses `static' HTML index files, while dwww works
CS> as a CGI script) and therefore quite different advantages and
CS> disadvantages.
Where#s the disadvantage of dhelp, I#m interested in new ideas.
CS> Because of this, all efforts of my part to get at least the document
CS> registry code of both tools to support a common registry file format
That#s not true. Jim announced to support .dhelp. And if you like it, I
could add a .dhelp -> .dwww-index converter to my dh_dhelp. That#s not a
big problem.
CS> failed! But in order to make these systems useful for the users, all
CS> packages have to support these. This would only be done, if policy would
CS> mandate their use.
That#s right and I#ve already suggested to include dwww and dhelp to
policy. Where#s the problem? Most packages includes maybe 3 root HTML
documents. Is it a big problem to write .dwww-index and .dhelp? This takes
5 minutes.
CS> However, policy will never mandate each maintainer to
CS> support two (totally different) only menu systems!
Why not? Let the user choice the package.
CS> Since all documentation files will eventually be registered to doc-base
CS> anyways (since doc-base will do the format conversion), it's obviously the
CS> best solution (from the maintainer's point of few) if doc-base registers
CS> documents to the online menu systems.
But this is slow. I#ve written for example dhelp_parse in C and not in
Perl, because Perl is to slow, if the script is called by hundrets of
packages.
In most cases dhelp_parse has already finished its job, when the Perl
interpreter compiles the script. A lot of Debian tools are to slow on slow
computers like 386.
I would suggest that we start to use only one "directory structure"
(<directory> in dhelp) for dwww, dhelp and doc-base.
Some hours later: I#ve written a small .dhelp to .dwww-index converter for
package maintainers:
begin 755 dhelp2dwww
M(R$O=7-R+V)I;B]P97)L("UW"@HC($-O<'ER:6=H="`H8RD@,3DY."!B>2!-
M87)C;R!"=61D92`H0G5D9&5`='4M:&%R8G5R9RYD92D*(R!'3E4@1V5N97)A
M;"!0=6)L:6,@3&EC96YS90H*<')I;G0@(BYD:&5L<"`M/B`N9'=W=RUI;F1E
M>%QN7&XB.PH*)'!W9"`](&!P=V1@.PHD<'=D(#U^("\N*C]<+W5S<EPO9&]C
M7"\H+BHI+SL*)'!W9"`]("0Q.PH*;W!E;B`H24XL("(\("YD:&5L<"(I(&]R
M(&1I92`B8V%N)W0@;W!E;B`N9&AE;'`A7&XB.PIO<&5N("A/550L("(^("YD
M=W=W+6EN9&5X(BD@;W(@9&EE(")C86XG="!O<&5N("YD=W=W+6EN9&5X(5QN
M(CL*"G=H:6QE("@D>G<@/2`\24X^*0I["B`@)&1E<V-R:7`@/2`G)SL*("!W
M:&EL92`H)'IW("%^("\\7"]I=&5M/B\I"B`@>PH@("`@)&QI;FMN86UE(#T@
M)#$@:68@*"1Z=R`]?B`O/&QI;FMN86UE/B@N*BDO*3L*("`@("1F:6QE;F%M
M92`]("0Q(&EF("@D>G<@/7X@+SQF:6QE;F%M93XH+BHI+RD["B`@("!I9B`H
M)'IW(#U^("\\9&5S8W)I<'1I;VX^+RD*("`@('L*("`@("`@=VAI;&4@*"1Z
M=R`A?B`O/%PO9&5S8W)I<'1I;VX^+RD*("`@("`@>R`*("`@("`@("`D>G<@
M/2`\24X^.PH@("`@("`@("1D97-C<FEP(#T@)&1E<V-R:7`@+B`D>G<@:68@
M*"1Z=R`A?B`O/%PO9&5S8W)I<'1I;VX^+RD["B`@("`@('T*("`@('T*("`@
M("1Z=R`](#Q)3CX["B`@?0H@('!R:6YT($]55"`B(W-E8W1I;VX@9V5N97)A
M;%QN(CL*("!P<FEN="!/550@(CQD=#X\82!H<F5F/5PB)'!W9"\D9FEL96YA
M;65<(CXD;&EN:VYA;64\+V$^7&XB.R`@"B`@<')I;G0@3U54("(\9&0^)&1E
F<V-R:7!<;B(["GT*"F-L;W-E("A)3BD["F-L;W-E("A/550I.PH`
`
end
cu, Marco
--
Uni: Budde@tu-harburg.de Fido: 2:240/5202.15
Mailbox: mbudde@hqsys.antar.com http://www.tu-harburg.de/~semb2204/
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