OASIS Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) TC

  • 1.  Customized Subset Document Types

    Posted 01-23-2007 19:47
    In the architecture spec, the section "Customized subset document types 
    for authoring" says:
    
    "Customized subset document types are not compliant with the DITA 
    standard, and may not be supported by standards-compliant tools."
    
    First, change the term "compliant" to "conformant". One complies with 
    regulations but conforms to standards.
    
    At first read I didn't understand why this sentence was true.
    
    I think it is true if the intent is that all "conforming DITA document 
    types" must allow as valid all documents that use the declared modules 
    and domains. Have I got this correct?
    
    If that's the intent, then I think there needs to be a statement to that 
    effect, otherwise it's not necessarily obvious why a document type that 
    will otherwise only produce valid (against the doctypes as delivered) 
    documents is considered to be "invalid" and the statement reads as 
    something of an ad-hominem prescription.
    
    Note too that this section and what it describes is materially different 
    from the next section, which talks about renaming attributes and so on, 
    which of course will result in document types that cannot be conforming 
    DITA documents types, if for no other reason then they fail to satisfy 
    the rules for specialization.
    
    Cheers,
    
    E.
    
    -- 
    W. Eliot Kimber
    Professional Services
    Innodata Isogen
    8500 N. Mopac, Suite 402
    Austin, TX 78759
    (214) 954-5198
    
    ekimber@innodata-isogen.com
    www.innodata-isogen.co
    
    


  • 2.  Re: [dita] Customized Subset Document Types

    Posted 01-23-2007 23:57
    
    
      
      
    
    
    I'd agree with you here, Eliot.

    I read it as a "don't blame us if you break things when subsetting" kind of statement, and proceeded to ignore it in my own customization - though it did kind of tick me off.

    --Dana

    W. Eliot Kimber wrote:
    In the architecture spec, the section "Customized subset document types for authoring" says:

    "Customized subset document types are not compliant with the DITA standard, and may not be supported by standards-compliant tools."

    First, change the term "compliant" to "conformant". One complies with regulations but conforms to standards.

    At first read I didn't understand why this sentence was true.

    I think it is true if the intent is that all "conforming DITA document types" must allow as valid all documents that use the declared modules and domains. Have I got this correct?

    If that's the intent, then I think there needs to be a statement to that effect, otherwise it's not necessarily obvious why a document type that will otherwise only produce valid (against the doctypes as delivered) documents is considered to be "invalid" and the statement reads as something of an ad-hominem prescription.

    Note too that this section and what it describes is materially different from the next section, which talks about renaming attributes and so on, which of course will result in document types that cannot be conforming DITA documents types, if for no other reason then they fail to satisfy the rules for specialization.

    Cheers,

    E.