RE: [dita] Completeness check: are the current domains adequate?

Title: Message

There 
was one domain and one topic type that we developed and believe that might be 
useful to people outiside our own company. The domain is "address" and contains 
tags such as cie name, firstname, lastname, state/province, zip/postalcode 
etc. The topic is "exercises", it is generic enough to include one sentence 
questions and multiple choices questions.

 

We'd 
be happy to share them as is or a a basis for discussion, if they can 
be useful.

 

France 
Baril 
Documentation architect/Architecte documentaire 
I X I A S O F 
T 

+1 514 
279-4942 
 
[   www.ixiasoft.com   
] 

  

  
-----Original Message-----
From: Don Day 
  [mailto:] 
Sent: June 30, 2004 6:27 PM
To: 
  DITA TC list 
Subject: [dita] Completeness check: are the current 
  domains adequate?

  
I'm reviewing some broad aspects of DITA as we draw closer on the first 
  specification draft. I brought up tables already. Another area concerns DITA's 
  core domains: highlighting, programming, software, user interface, and a 
  possibly vestigial catchall, utilities. For interoperbility with existing uses 
  of DITA, we don't want to remove domains or vocabulary that might be in use. 
  On the other hand, we have an opportunity now to add some additional 
  vocabulary that might make DITA more visible.

I suggest this because I 
  was reviewing a private note from Erik Hennum (who is on vacation at the 
  moment, or I would have had him put the idea forth), in which he mentioned 
  that the OASIS TC should consider adding vocabulary domains that include 
  targets for DocBook-to-DITA migration.

What is the value, you ask? By 
  architecting semantically equivalent targets in DITA for structures in 
  DocBook, we enable these two document architectures to speak to each other, 
  and potentially to exchange both content and processing. This is much more 
  powerful than just adding a new subject domain as a vocabulary... it enables 
  any DocBook library to interoperate with DITA without a tools change other 
  than an identity-transform-based migrator that exchanges schemas and handles 
  the attribute differences. Down the road, well-formed DocBook fragments might 
  even be valid DITA instances, meaning that you might be able to use DITA maps 
  to include DocBook chunks directly for DITA deliverables. I'll let Eliot 
  wrestle with the mechanics of this tantalizing thought.

Anyway, a 
  shared vocabulary with DocBook is one such domain with high value across many 
  industries. Would there be any others? Please share and 
  discuss!

Regards,
--
Don Day <>
Chair, 
  OASIS DITA Technical Committee
IBM Lead DITA Architect
11501 Burnet Rd., 
  MS 9037D018, Austin TX 78758
Ph. 512-838-8550 (T/L 678-8550)

"Where 
  is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have 
  lost in information?"
--T.S. Eliot