[Typo3-doc] Reason for dropping DocBook...

[Jean-Marie Schweizer]

Hi Peter

Before I answer - have you looked at my post 'docTeam leader 'ad interim''?

> Have you tested anyone of the DocBook editors you linked to?

No, because so far I have focussed on LaTeX and although I installed 
some editors I don't really use them for writing but just for creating 
the PDF.

> Which is the best to use if I want to test?

I wouldn't know. I was just looking 'docbook editor' up with google to 
see that there are more than the claimed no editors for DocBook.

I probably would prefer 'vim' with the DocBook macros that are available 
so I can focus on writing instead of all the bells and wistles.

> I think DocBook might be a good format for future Typo3
> documentation, 

That's exactly my point. First of all, I just wanted to know, why 
DocBook was dropped as the overall format for documentation. Sylvain 
provided me with the answer I was looking for.

> but what are the benefits of it. Using a standard
> format and be able to export in different way I understand, but
> many tools (OOo) can do that. Why is DocBook better?

First we have to decide on how documentations are supposed to be written 
in the future.

- Is is going to be like up till now, where anyone can write a 
documentation as long as he wants to?

- Or is it going to be more restrictive, like coding the core of TYPO3 
where only a few people that now the guidelines and syntax by heart are 
writing and maintaining the 'core' documentations.

I think that Wiki, OOo, timtaw are tools for the first group and we need 
to provide them so that people have an easy access.

The second group (I would consider that as the future docTeam) is yet to 
be aquired. They would be similar to the devTeam, only a handful bu 
determend to creat professional, clean and structured documentations.

Very much like the devTeam, that docTeam will learn the required markup, 
learn how to transfer written contributions into the core documentation 
structure, consider the structure and design guidelines and know their 
way around the many thousands of written pages.

> Don´t get me wrong. To me it looks like this is a format we have
> to consider in the future, but right now it (=editors) does not
> seem to be mature enought to be the standard documentation tool
> in the Typo3 community...?

Standard documentation tool for the first group will be Wiki, timtaw and 
OO. The second group won't need the editors you might still consider.

I'm not sure if I can make myself clear enough or not. I'm trying keep 
the word count considerably small without loosing too much of big picture.

> Maybe we first should test DocBook in a smaller "project"? Like
> writing the Editors handbook och Installation Basics in the
> DocBook format?

Oh yes... And it doesn't have to be anytime soon. If we decide on a 
format that covers all the bases of any professional documentation needs 
we should be sure.

> Would it be difficult to convert the wiki format to DocBook and
> vice versa?

Conversion shouldn't be a problem, but it will not be without further 
adaptions by hand to get it into an overall concept. Otherwise we don't 
gain anything.

Jean-Marie