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DITA TC Minutes -- 10 Aug 2004

  • 1.  DITA TC Minutes -- 10 Aug 2004

    Posted 08-10-2004 16:18
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    Subject: DITA TC Minutes -- 10 Aug 2004


    DITA TECHNICAL COMMITTEE -- MEETING MINUTES -- 10 AUG 2004
    
    *** Please see Action Items and Decision Summary at the end *** 
    
    
    ** Agenda ** 
    ------------ 
        1. Roll call
    
        2. Review/approve minutes from 03 August (pending)
    
        3. Progress on remaining issues currently in discussion.
            - Normative version--DTDs or Schemas?
            - Namespace for DITA?
            - Which version of CALS table model?
            - Conref and XInclude? 
    
        4. Review/revise intro section for the initial specifications.
            - Content:
                - Latest version:
                    -
    http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita/download.php/8636/dita
    spec-intro-08102004.chm
    
            - Schedule:
                - 17 Aug 2004
                    - First major milestone -- complete first draft of
                      first section and send out for review.
                    - Begin review of 1st section.
                - 07 Sep 2004
                    - Complete review/revision of 1st section; begin
                      review of 2nd section.
                - 28 Sep 2004
                    - Complete review/revision of 2nd section; begin
                      review of 3rd section.  
                - 19 Oct 2004
                    - Complete review/revision of 3rd section; beginning
                      of final review
                - 02 Nov 2004
                    - Complete final review
                - 16 Nov 2004
                    - Release 1.0 spec to OASIS
    
        5. AOB? 
    
    
    ** Minutes ** 
    ------------- 
        1. Roll call
            - We do have quorum.
    
        2. Review/approve minutes from 03 August (pending)
            - Minutes approved.
    
        3. Progress on remaining issues currently in discussion.
            - Normative version -- DTDs or Schemas?
                - Discussion:
                    - Eliot Kimber -- The DTD/Schema is not enough to
                      provide a complete definition.  The language
                      reference should be the "normative" definition.
                    - Nancy Harrison -- In the DocBook TC, the
                      DTD/Schema is not enough -- the documentation is
                      a very important part of the normative definition.
                      The online version of the documentation is kept on
                      sourceforge along with the code.
                    - Erik Hennum -- The DTD would still be normative
                      for the content model, but the language reference
                      provides the explanation for the same elements.
                    - Debbie Lapeyre -- Supports Elliot in acknowledging
                      that whatever we can say in the DTD/Schema is only
                      a small part of what we are doing.  The important
                      part is in the explanation.
                    - Nancy -- Is the DTD/Schema plus the Language
                      Reference adequate, or do we need even more than
                      that?
                    - Eliot -- The Language Reference does seem to be
                      complete.
                    - ...
                    - Erik Hennum -- Proposes that we rely on the DTD
                      for content models and specialization package
                      organization, and rely on the language reference
                      for what it all means.  A model in the future
                      would rely on a syntax-independent definition of
                      the semantics, and from this the DTD/schema would
                      be derived.
                    - Eliot -- Need to add a high-level description of
                      the packages -- what is a topic? what is
                      a concept/task/reference?  This needs to be
                      included in the language reference.
                    - Bruce Esrig -- Do we need to say anything about
                      processing?
                    - Don -- It's covered in the language reference,
                      although it's not perfect in that respect.
                    - Eliot -- We don't want to talk about how the
                      processing is implemented.
                    - Don -- We need to make sure the Language Reference
                      is complete in regard to processing.
                    - Bruce -- Is the processing semantics implicit in
                      the Language Reference, or do we need to say
                      something explicitly?
                    - Eliot -- What processing semantics specifically
                      are we talking about?  In how much detail should
                      DITA specify this / how general should the
                      specification be?
                    - Erik -- We might make these kinds of statements as
                      illustrations, we shouldn't make them as normative
                      restraints.  "This kind of thing will typically be
                      rendered as a link."
                    - Nancy -- The processing application will determine
                      how this is rendered.  There are some elements
                      that are created for the purpose to do something
                      with them, but not all elements require
                      presentation.  You should say something about how
                      an item is typically rendered.
                    - Eliot -- Yes, but it doesn't say "It must be
                      rendered this way."
                    - Bruce -- These mechanisms must be completely
                      described.
                    - Eliot -- If some elements have relationships with
                      other elements, we need to explicitly define those
                      relationships, but that's all, we don't need to go
                      beyond that.
                    - Bruce -- 
                    - Don -- This is all good input for the review
                      process, but we don't need to rewrite the given
                      proposal.
                    - Eliot -- We'll provide at least one thorough
                      example of how things should work, but this
                      example won't be the normative definition.
    
                - PROPOSAL -- The normative definition of DITA consists
                  of the element semantics and package organization as
                  described in the Language Reference, and the element
                  content models and attribute typing and specialization
                  pattern as encoded in the DTD.
    
                - The proposal was approved -- no objections.
    
    
            - Namespace for DITA?
                - Moved to next week.
            
    
            - Which version of CALS table model?
                - A lot of discussion on the virtues of the HTML model,
                  the CALS exchange model, and the CALS model.
                - Some issues considered -- 
                    - Can you get required print quality using HTML
                      model, which allows you to specify line widths
                      only as pixels?   >>> No
                    - Is there a way to specify cell shading in the CALS
                      model?   >>> Yes, you can use attributes to do
                      this.
    
                - PROPOSAL -- We recommend a CALS table model -- the
                  HTML model is not required for this version of the
                  specification.  We still need to decide which CALS
                  model to use (full CALS model, or CALS Exchange
                  model).
    
                - The proposal was approved -- no objections.
    
                - Need to resolve final question -- which CALS model to
                  use.  That discussion is moved to next week.
               
            
            - Conref and XInclude? 
                - Moved to next week.
    
    
        4. Review/revise intro section for the initial specifications.
            - Content:
                - Latest version:
                    -
    http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita/download.php/8636/dita
    spec-intro-08102004.chm
    
            - Schedule:
                - 17 Aug 2004
                    - First major milestone -- complete first draft of
                      first section and send out for review.
                    - Begin review of 1st section.
                - 07 Sep 2004
                    - Complete review/revision of 1st section; begin
                      review of 2nd section.
                - 28 Sep 2004
                    - Complete review/revision of 2nd section; begin
                      review of 3rd section.  
                - 19 Oct 2004
                    - Complete review/revision of 3rd section; beginning
                      of final review
                - 02 Nov 2004
                    - Complete final review
                - 16 Nov 2004
                    - Release 1.0 spec to OASIS
    
            - Action Required:  Let's discuss this on the list!
    
        5. AOB?     
            - None
    
    
    ** Summary of Decisions ** 
    -------------------------- 
    
        - Approved minutes of 03 August.
    
        - Decision -- The normative definition of DITA consists of the
          element semantics and package organization as described in the
          Language Reference, and the element content models and
          attribute typing and specialization pattern as encoded in the
          DTD.
    
        - Decision -- We recommend a CALS table model -- the HTML model
          is not required for this version of the specification.  We
          still need to decide which CALS model to use (full CALS model,
          or CALS Exchange model).
    
    
    ** Action Required ** 
    --------------------- 
        017 Shawn Jordan -- Post to the TC list his ideas about general
            extensibility and the creation of new elements not
            necessarily descended from the Topic element. Still open
            (not an immediate deliverable -- for post-1.0). 
    
        021 JoAnn Hackos, Michael Priestley -- Summarize the discussion
            of substitution and post to the TC list. Still pending as of
            7/20/04. 
    
        022 Don, Michael -- Put together a "self-study" tutorial/demo,
            as per JoAnn's comments regarding the DITA sessions. Still
            pending as of 7/20/04. 
    
        024 Eliot -- Find out exactly how to entitle the subsections
            within the two specifications (as "sub specification", or as
            "Part 1, part 2, etc.", or in some other way). 
                - Eliot sent email to specification support person, but
                  no response back yet. (6/29/04) 
                - Also Eliot should ask if OASIS can provide any
                  examples of well-written specs (in regard to content,
                  not format) 
    
        026 Michael -- See how Conref and XInclude contrast with SGML.
            Still pending as of 7/20/04. 
    
        027 Erik Hennum -- Wrap up his thoughts about Conref and
            XInclude and put them on the list. Still pending as of
            7/27/04. 
    
        036 Shawn Jordan -- Investigate where to point the DITA
            namespace -- where does the URL point? Maybe an OASIS page
            that describes what DITA does, etc. 
    
        037 Don -- Find someone to investigate the impact on those with
            legacy content of moving from the CALS model to the HTML
            model. 
    
        040 Don -- Cull the past minutes and discussion list to create
            an inventory of all the things we need to close on in order
            to create the 1.0 spec.  Create a list of these items and
            post it in the Documents area of the website.
    
        041 All -- Send comments on spec 1.0 to JoAnn this week.
    
        042 All -- Consider need for and practicality of 2-3 day
            face-to-face meeting in late October in order to resolve
            final technical issues in advance of final editorial work.
    
        043 Michael Priestley -- Add a straw-man audience statement to
            the introduction.
    
        044 All -- Review the .chm file sent out by Michael Priestley
            located at
     
    http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita/download.php/8636/dita
    spec-intro-08102004.chm
            and post comments to the TC list.
    
    
    ** Issues to be Resolved ** 
    --------------------------- 
        005 All -- What should the scope and length of the conceptual
            introduction be?
    
        006 All -- Should DITA specialization mechanism be documented in
            a separate specification in order to make it easier to use
            in other XML applications that otherwise have no
            relationship to topic-based writing?
    
        007 All -- Decide which version of the CALS table model to use
            -- either the full CALS model, or the CALS Exchange model.
    
    <END> 
    
    
    
    ___________________________________________________________
    Seraphim Larsen                  ICG Technical Publications
    Sr. Technical Writer                      Intel Corporation
    (480) 552-6504                                 Chandler, AZ
    
    The content of this message is my personal opinion only. 
    Although I am an employee of Intel, the statements I make 
    here in no way represent Intel's position on the issue, nor 
    am I authorized to speak on behalf of Intel on this matter.
    ___________________________________________________________
    


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