🚀 go-pugleaf

Michael Garzione <garzione@convex.com> writes:
|
|   We're considering using Electronic Book Technology's Dynatext system
|   to display online documents (actually training materials).  The
|   Dynatext system arranges and formats SGML into various presentation
|   styles.  I was looking for opinions and/or comments from anyone who
|   is using Dynatext and what tools people use [in general] to generate
|   SGML.  Any info is appreciated.  I am told that Interleaf and an
|   Arbortext product generate SGML.  Are there any others?

IBM, SoftQuad and Exoterica also make products that generate SGML.  See
the below mentioned bibliography for details.

|   I am also totally ignorant about SGML and need to learn more about
|   how it is used, especially on a conceptual level.  If anyone can
|   point me at a good reference, that would be great.  Thanks.

I think comp.text.sgml should be able to answer at least some of your
questions.  The newsgroup sports an anonymous FTP archive at
ftp.ifi.uio.no in the directory /pub/SGML, courtesy of the Department of
Informatics, with an archive of the newsgroup (/pub/SGML/comp.text.sgml)
which you also can reach with WAIS (comp.text.sgml.src), including a
full text keyword search capability.

The bibliography (/pub/SGML/bibliography) compiled by Robin Cover should
also give you valuable pointers and a starting point for your search for
knowledge.  If you're serious about learning the language, I would
recommend Charles F. Goldfarb: The SGML Handbook; Oxford University
Press, 1991.  ISBN 0-19-853737-9.  It features an overview chapter which
will gently lead you to the concepts in SGML, but it requires dedication
and effort to get the real value out of this book.  There exists no book
at the entry-level which could address the needs of the interested, but
not (yet) committed.  The only other book I would recommend is Eric van
Herwijnen: Practical SGML; Wolters Kluwer Academic Publishers.  ISBM
0-7923-0635-X.  It claims to be addressed to authors, but people with a
programming background will have the most benefit from it in my opinion.

To address your specific request, I don't know of any works which deal
with SGML at the conceptual level.  It seems that people have had their
hands full getting the language details right.  I have been asked to
write on this, and am, but it turns out to be very time-consuming.
Maybe other readers of comp.text.sgml can help you in the meantime?

Best regards,
</Erik>
--
Erik Naggum             |  ISO  8879 SGML     |      +47 295 0313
                        |  ISO 10744 HyTime   |
<erik@naggum.no>        |  ISO 10646 UCS      |      Memento, terrigena.
<enag@ifi.uio.no>       |  ISO  9899 C        |      Memento, vita brevis.