Re: [Fwd: Evolution of the DocBook tools]

[Eric Bischoff <ebisch@cybercable.tm.fr>]

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Karl Eichwalder wrote:
> 
> Eric Bischoff <ebisch@cybercable.tm.fr> writes:
> 
> |   Here is your "official" invitation to an informal discussion on how
> |   to package the sgml tools (directory tree, contents of packages,
> |   utilities) in our various distributions. We will then formalize the
> |   results and send it as a proposal for the Linux Standard Base and
> |   the Docbook-Tools.
> 
> Thanks for your invitation.
> 
> I don't see the point why we shouldn't use the sgmltools list to discuss
> this issue...

Not to bother the other members. This discussion generates a
big traffic and people may get fed up with it. We'll go back
to the main list when we will have established a set of
proposals.

BTW, what's happening with our list at conectiva ? I'm
getting failure notices.

> OTOH, there isn't that much magic about SGML software as people often
> thing ;-)

Yes, but it's often puzzling them. I would like people being
able to use DocBook "out of the box" without hacking shell
scripts again and again.

> DTD, ENTITIES, and stylesheets sould go to /usr/share/$sgml (where $sgml
> should be "sgml", IMO).  (= $datadir)

This is one of the things we are discussing on the list, so
let's not start here.
(So far, most people are proposing /usr/lib/sgml, not
/usr/share/sgml, but the tools we are refining are versatile
enough to accept /usr/share/sgml or anything else)

> CATALOGs should go to $sysconfdir and links from
> /usr/share/$sgml/CATALOG.* might point to $sysconfdir/CATALOG.*

I think $sysconfdir is a SuSE-specific variable. I don't
understand you.
(So far, the catalogs are in the individual subdirectories,
and you can reference them through a centralized catalog
named /usr/lib/sgml/CATALOG)

> The name of the CATALOGs should be spelled in uppercase letter plus
> ".$package_name".

See above (we have for example
/usr/lib/sgml/docbook-dtd/docbook.cat, not
/usr/lib/sgml/CATALOG.docbook-dtd as you suggest).

> IMO, that's all what is needed.  If CATALOGs are there and properly
> detected, third party tools should work.

The db2* scripts I've been rewriting work either with :

/usr/lib/sgml/CATALOG (centralized catalog, if available)

or with :

/usr/lib/sgml/xxx/yyy.cat (if centralized catalog is not
available. They do a "find -name *.cat" to find them).

They accept an alternate SGML base directory like
/usr/share/sgml if you prefer this one.

> If you think this isn't enough, please, define the goals and provide a
> draft of the proposed implementation.

It's been done. I'll send it to you in a separate message
(but Jorge is reworking it, maybe it's better if Jorge can
send you the updated version).

Your message shows, if it was necessary, that each
distribution is doing a different thing, and that we have to
agree on common directory names and file names. Our
proposals will be used as a draft for the LSB, I have Ralf
Flaxa's agreement, and Mark Galassi may accept them as the
new Docbook-Tools distribution.

-- 
 Éric Bischoff   -   mailto:ebisch@cybercable.tm.fr
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