Re: DD: Quick Reference card?

["W. Eliot Kimber" <eliot@xxxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:35 AM 6/16/97 -0400, Tony Graham wrote:
> > 
> > Given that I never print anything I don't have to, it better be in SGML.
>
>I don't see how the two parts of that sentence relate to each other.

I forgot to mention: if it's not SGML, I don't look at it for reference
[pig-headed of me I know, but I can afford to be].

> But let me ask this question:  why would you ever consider creating
> > something as structured as a quick reference and not use SGML?  If
there is
> > any kind of technical information for which SGML is necessary, it's
> > reference information. I'm frankly stunned by the above statement.
>
>Perhaps I didn't emphasise the word "prototype" enough.  For something
>where the size is small, the layout is crucial, and you don't know how
>much information you are going to fit in -- such as on the six "pages"
>of a tri-fold card -- then I don't have a problem playing with the
>layout in Word and then going back and creating the stylesheet to
>duplicate it.  Think of it as the rough draft.

I guess I misunderstood what you're trying to produce.  Perhaps my real
question is: why bother to produce a *print* quick reference, or at least
one with such strict formatting requirements.  My presumption is that
anyone doing stuff with DSSSL will be primarily working from a computer and
therefore will have some way of viewing SGML documents in a way that is
more effective than paper tends to be.  For those people who are not, a
less format-dependent printed reference is probably adequate.

Cheers,

E.

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