Re: Use of SGML for documentation (Re: potato -> woody upgrade not smooth...)
Matt Zimmerman wrote:
> > I'm highly suspicious of SGML, and it's relative worth. It's got clunky
> > syntax, and while LaTeX has it's flaws it's a hellalot more powerful.
I totally agree with these statements...
> LaTeX is for preparing documents to be typeset,
NO... this is a short (but common) view of working with LaTeX...
> It's the right tool for the job.
again, (I think) this is wrong.
> package, and take a look at the SGML source for (e.g.) the debian-policy
> package.
>
> Turn of your Buzz-Word alarm for a few minutes and give it a chance. Use it to
> generate latex with debiandoc2latex, and printed output via DVI. Use it to
> generate texinfo, HTML and plain text.
All of this is possible starting with LaTeX. don't use latex2html but
other processors (e.g. HeVeA)
> For comparison purposes, you may wish to run some of your LaTeX documents
> through latex2html, and perhaps the result through w3m to generate text.
> Marvel at all of the typesetting commands that have been lost.
- by the way, I'm not sure that people use w3m to read documentation,
why not lynx, or vi for the text ;-)
You don't need marvelous typesetting commands in usual documentation,
right ! But you need tables, you need pictures or figures, you need
index, references...
Look at usual linux documentations and you will see that they are rather
poor from this point of view...
> SGML is for defining document structure, not placing text on a page.
This is also true (structure) with LaTeX BUT it allows you _if you need
it_ to place text somewhere on a page, but this is not the first
natural use of LaTeX, this is _really_ why LaTeX is much more powerful
than SGML, it can do both...
What you can do with SGML (**and the corresponding tools**) can be done
with LaTeX (**and the corresponding tools**), the reverse is not true.
> > And if I want to write data in an easily manipulatable form, I use Lisp.
>
> I refuse to believe that you're advocating writing documentation in LISP.
I think that he was advocating using XML for datas ;-)
(he was'nt speaking about documentation but data...).
You can see XML as the lisp form of structured information (data or
documentation)...
Please note that I'm not trying to convince you to use LaTeX for
linux/debian documentation (unfortunately, it's probably too late).
I'm just saying that your SGML vs LaTeX comparison is biased and too
simplistic.
Cheers
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# Georges MARIANO
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