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>>I need information on Standard Graphics Markup Language (SGML) and
>>Standard Document Markup Language.  Specifically:
> 
>>      o  what are they?

SDML is the Standard Document Markup Language; the coding scheme used by
Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX Document. It is similar in function to
SGML, but is not compatible.

SGML does not do graphics per se because it is not publishing software. It
is a method for describing document structure. It does allow for the
inclusion of anything, though, but it is up to the formatting software that 
these files are passed to handle whatever might be in there. It is up to
the user to to provide graphics that there software can handle.

>>      o  why would I want to use either of them?
> 
>SGML is independant of any hardware or formatting program.

It is also being required by the government. Any piece of hardware sold to 
the government or military must have the documentation provided in machine 
readable form and encoded to the SGML standard.
 
>>      o  how do they differ functionally from PostScript (tm)?

>SGML is not a programming language.  There is no analogy there.

Well, SGML IS a language. It is a language used to describe a document 
hierarchy. PostScript (tm) is a page description language. PostScript is a 
language that a printer can understand to put ink on paper. SGML is a 
language to aid in the pagination process. 

SGML is not a set of codes to mark up the text. It is a language that will 
allow a user to define a set of markup codes, but there is no proscribed set 
of codes inherent in the language. There are a couple of industry standard 
definitions based on SGML; the AAP (American Association of Publishers), 
CALS (MIL Spec 28001), and ATOS.
 
>>      o  what types of information can be encoded with these
>>         langauges?

If you ask Interleaf, they MAY tell you that they are working on a CALS 
interpreter, although sometimes they don't like to answer questions.

				-Marc Soule-

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