From: "Steven R. Newcomb" <srn@techno.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 11:29:13 -0500
Subject: Re: SGML authoring tools

In article <1992Dec15.221604.318@rsvl.unisys.com> gray@rsvl.unisys.com
(Bill Gray ) writes:

> I need to know what tools exist for creating and maintaining documents
> in SGML.  UNIX or MS-DOS platforms are preferred.
>
> The target application is software and hardware documentation in multiple
> media (for example, paper, online man pages, and CD-ROM).  We need to be
> able to embed hypertext links in the output for the CD-ROM output.

You should get involved in the work of the Davenport Group, which is now
completing the development of a set of conventions, based on HyTime, for
representing hypertext links (navigational information) in SGML.  (Or,
at least, you should read what that group is doing about this very
problem and THEN decide to get involved.) All information about the
Davenport Group can be obtained by writing to dale@ora.com (Dale
Dougherty of O'Reilly & Associates).   There is also a Davenport
archive (look for the words "DASH" or "SOFABED") which can be obtained
free via anonymous FTP.  He will probably reply with a letter
much like the one below:

********************************************************************************

[Dale Dougherty (dale@ora.com) wrote on 92.08.14:]

The following describes the Davenport Group listserver, now
used for automating e-mail lists, and how to access
the Davenport Group ftp archive.  This message is being
sent to all current subscribers of the Davenport Group
general e-mail list.  The name of the general alias used
to distribute mail to all participants is unchanged: davenport@ora.com.


HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DAVENPORT GROUP

The Davenport Group serves as a catalyst for implementing SGML and
HyTime standards to promote a common interchange format and
an open-systems approach to on-line documentation and electronic publication.
All meetings of the Davenport Group are open to interested
participants and observers.

This "canned" message describes how to participate in the activities
of the group.

* Davenport Group Mailing Lists
* Using the Listserver
* Sending Mail to a List
* Davenport Group FTP Archive


*Davenport Group Mailing Lists

There is a general mailing list for the Davenport Group.
Meeting notices and summaries, as well as availablity of the group's
work product, will be announced on the general davenport list.

There are three active working groups who maintain
separate mailing lists.   The individual mailing list allows
for informal discussion of the technical work of a group,
and the list is made up of active participants.

The names of the lists are as follows:

davenport       General mailing list.

dav-dash        Davenport Advisory Standard on Hypermedia
                        Application of architectural forms in HyTime
                        to problems of interchange for online technical
                        documentation.

dav-man         Committee for Common Man
                        SGML-based standardization of UNIX man pages.

dav-query       Query Language Working Group
                        Define requirements for an SGML-based query
                        language.


*Using the Listserver

The Listserver is a program that automates the process of
adding or deleting names from a mailing list.  It allows
the user to send mail to the listserver (listserv@ora.com)
and place in the body of the message a command to the
listserver.

To join a mailing list, send mail to listserv@ora.com, and
in the body of the message, type:

subscribe list-name "Your Name, Your Company"

For example,

subscribe davenport "Dale Dougherty, O'Reilly & Associates"

The listserver program takes your e-mail address from
the message header.  When you subscribe, you will receive a message
from the listserver confirming that you have been added to the list.
Note that any other information in the message will be ignored.

To take yourself off of a mailing list, again send mail
to listserv@ora.com, and in the body of the message, type:

unsubscribe list-name "Your Name, Your Company"

To get information about a list, send mail to listserv@ora.com,
and type in the body of the message:

information list-name


*Sending Mail to a List

The most important thing to remember is that you send mail
to subscribers of a list by addressing it to the named list
at ora.com:

davenport@ora.com
dav-dash@ora.com
dav-man@ora.com
dav-query@ora.com

All requests to subscribe or unsubscribe or get information
about the list must be sent to listserv@ora.com.  Please
don't send these requests to the named list itself because
it will go out to all subscribers.


*Davenport Group FTP Archive

There is now an Internet archive on ora.com for the Davenport
Group.  This archive currently contains summaries
of Davenport Group meetings as well as documents describing the
efforts of individual working groups.  Highlights include a
PostScript version of the DASH (Davenport Advisory Standard
on Hypermedia, formerly DGDAS).

To access this information, login via anonymous ftp to "ftp.ora.com."
Type "cd pub/davenport" to get to the Davenport directory.

davenport.intro

This file contains a lengthy overview of the group and its recent activity.


There are currently three subdirectories for working groups:

/pub/davenport/DASH

This archive supports the group looking into HyTime and the use of
SGML architectural forms for the interchange of hypermedia information
in technical documentation. A compressed, PostScript version
of the DASH document is named dav.ps.Z. This is the June 14th
version, unchanged since our last meeting.  There are also meeting
summaries.

/pub/davenport/CFCM

This archive supports the Committee for Common Man (CFCM),
the group working on standardization of UNIX-style reference
"man" pages.

/pub/davenport/QL

This archive supports the subgroup looking at an SGML-based
query language.


* Sample FTP session:

Here is a sample session:


        % ftp ftp.ora.com
        Connected to ruby.ora.com.
        220 ruby FTP server (Version 6.12 Thu Apr 23 21:09:30 EDT  1992) ready.
        Name (ftp.ora.com:dale): anonymous
        331 Guest login ok, send e-mail address as password.
        Password: <-- type e-mail address
        ftp> cd pub/davenport

If you want to get the davenport.intro document,

	ftp> cd pub/davenport
	ftp> get davenport.intro

The "get" command will put this ascii file on your
system.

If you want to get the DASH document,

	ftp> cd pub/davenport/DASH
	ftp> binary
	ftp> get dav.ps.Z

This will put the binary file dav.ps.Z on your system.  You must
uncompress that file before sending it to a PostScript printer.

If you have any problems or questions, please let me know.


--
Dale
Newsgroups: comp.text.sgml