SGML/XML proposals for Linux Standard Base

[Dan Scott <dan.scott@acm.org>]

Hey guys,

George posted this a little over a week ago (albeit with a deceptive
subject). Basically he would like to get feedback from people that care
about SGML and XML configuration and set up (hello Greg, Mark, every new
author that has struggled with the setup for Docbook, et al!). Assuming
that we can arrive at some mutual agreement, the Linux Standard Base also
feels that we could lend their proposal a certain amount of legitimacy.

That's assuming that we take a look at it. I've been marking up the
proposals and will offer some opinions in a few days, once I've had time
to actually digest the content. I'd love to hear the opinions of those
more wise in the ways of *ML than me...

Thanks,
Dan

-- 
Dan Scott,
Friend of the abnormal.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 15:40:06 -0600
From: George Kraft/Austin/IBM <gk4@us.ibm.com>
To: ldp-discuss@lists.linuxdoc.org
Subject: Unidentified subject!
Resent-Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 16:45:33 -0500
Resent-From: ldp-discuss@lists.debian.org

A while back there was a set of proposals brought forward to the Linux
Standard Base regarding: SGML Directory layout, DocBook Directory layout,
Open Catalog usage for SGML, Open Catalog usage for DocBook, Configuration
files, Iso-entities, and Packages.   I would like the Linux Documentation
Project to (1) review the proposals, and (2) if acceptable, endorse these
proposals.

http://lists.debian.org/lsb-spec-0008/msg00012.html
http://lists.debian.org/lsb-spec-0008/msg00013.html

Would someone within the LDP be interested in DocBook formatting and
supporting this chapter of the LSB?

George Kraft IV
gk4@us.ibm.com
LSB Written Spec Program Manager


George Kraft
08/31/2000 11:14 AM

To:   FHS Discuss
cc:   eric@caldera.de, docbook-tools@bazar.conectiva.com.br,
      rosalia@lanl.gov, rf@caldera.de, rw@caldera.de, johannes@caldera.de
From: George Kraft/Austin/IBM@IBMUS
Subject:  FHS PROPOSAL: SGML & XML


Enclosed is a proposal, submitted by Eric Bischoff,  for the FHS regarding
SGML & XML.   The more detailed second part of this proposal has been
submitted to the Linux Standard Base to be adopted as an addendum to the
LSB written specification.  See the LSB's lsb-discuss email archive for
more details regarding that proposal http://www.linuxbase.org/lists.html
It is proposed that the FHS adopted the enclosed and integrated it into the
specification.

Introduction
------------

In a normalisation effort, about thirty people, including packagers
of some Linux distributions, and developers of SGML related tools such
as the SGML-Tools and DocBook Tools project, discussed informally and
agreed on a series of recommendations that will be submitted as a draft
to the Linux Standard Base project. A reference implementation will also
be done as part of the DocBook-tools project.

This document addresses the FHS part of the project.

This document makes several references to "catalogs": these files
represent the dorsal spine of a SGML or XML system. They are mainly used
to map things (that are called "entities" in SGML or XML terminology)
into real file names. A catalog can reference other catalogs through
pointer directives (CATALOG, DELEGATE). For more information, see the
Open Catalogs standard at http://www.oasis-open.org.

/etc/sgml/
----------

In /etc/sgml one can find configuration files that describe the installed
components of a SGML or XML system.

Files found there include:

     *.conf: generic configuration files
     *.cat: DTD-specific centralized catalogs
     catalog: the super catalog

The generic configuration files define high-level parameters of the SGML
or XML system.

The "centralized catalogs" are catalogs that reference through pointers
all the other catalogs that are needed to use a given DTD. The referenced
files include the DTD's catalog, style sheets catalogs, character entities
sets catalogs, etc. All the files that are referenced reside somewhere
under /usr/share/sgml.

The "super catalog" references through pointers all the centralized
catalogs. Unlike the centralized catalogs, it does not guarantee the
absence of definition conflicts between referenced catalogs.

At least for the present, all XML documents are also SGML documents,
so it seems unnecessary to create /etc/xml.

/usr/share/sgml/
----------------

In /usr/share/sgml reside architecture-independent files used by SGML
or XML applications: ordinary catalogs (not the centralized ones), DTDs,
entities, style sheets, and other declarative files, if any.

It is organized at top-level into DTD-specific subdirectories, when
applicable:
     docbook/
     tei/
     html/
     mathml/
     ...

Other files that are not specific to a given DTD may reside in their own
directory. When we say "specific to a DTD", it does not mean that those
files describe a DTD, but only that they are to be used with this DTD.

At least for the present, all XML documents are also SGML documents,
so it seems unnecessary to create /usr/share/xml.


George Kraft IV
gk4@us.ibm.com


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