Hi Joe, I had to make a similar decision a couple years ago. I went with the home-grown approach. I already knew how to create a DTD and EDD, as well as XSLT, etc. I figured by the time I learned DocBook, cut it down to a manageable level, added any other customizations, I could have created my own EDD/DTD.
Also, by creating my own schema, I could take advantage of the inherent style in my unstructured documents. Once in XML, it is easy to get to HTML using XSLT. You can also create HTML Help without spending any money on tools. (If you're attending the FrameMaker Chautauqua in Austin next month, I'm presenting a session on this.) Mike -----Original Message----- From: framers-bounces+mike.feimster=acstechnologies.com at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces+mike.feimster=acstechnologies.com at lists.frameuse rs.com] On Behalf Of Joe Malin Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2006 2:22 PM To: framers at lists.frameusers.com Subject: Docbook versus Home-Grown Hi! Well, I *finally* finished the new book for our next software release, so I can justifiably turn my attention to getting myself into structured docs. I am not going to go with DITA just yet. My plan is to convert my existing unstructured docs to structure first, and then start the next round of docs in DITA. So, my first decision is what EDD to use. Should I develop an EDD myself from scratch, or start with the DocBook EDD? My only hesitation in using the DocBook EDD is that it will have a lot of elements that I don't want to use. Any advice, particularly from those who have gone the same route, would be much appreciated. As you probably know, I have many years experience in software development, so developing my own EDD is not an issue. Joe TuVox, Inc. 19050 Pruneridge Avenue Suite 150, Cupertino, CA 95014-0715 Joe Malin Technical Writer (408)625.1623 jmalin at tuvox.com www.tuvox.com The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc. _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to Framers as mike.feimster at acstechnologies.com. Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/mike.feimster%40acst echnologies.com Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
