Re: Scheme Programming Reference

[Chuck Robey <chuckr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Paul Tyson wrote:

> Sebastian Rahtz wrote:
> > 
> > Brandon Ibach writes:
> >  >    What, I believe, is needed is a book that does for DSSSL what
> >  > Goldfarb's "SGML Handbook" did for SGML.  It's actually a
> > 
> > what Goldfarb did for SGML, arguably, is put off 99% of the people
> > who picked up that monstrous tome. I think its a terrible, unhelpful,
> > offputting book. it typifies why SGML was such a huge marketing
> > failure.
> > 
> > we need a *fun* book about DSSSL. and plenty of publishers would risk
> > it, if anyone can write such a thing.
> > 
> I will argue it.  The "SGML Handbook" is and always will be the
> definitive reference work on SGML.  It is painful to read other
> expositions of structured documentation after you have experienced the
> Handbook.  Although it's subject matter is much narrower, I place it
> alongside Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming", Abelson's and
> Sussman's "The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs", and
> Hofstadter's "Goedel, Escher, Bach" among the most elegant treatments of
> computer topics.  That said, I admit it may not be immediately
> accessible to those who prefer a "Dummies" introduction (although the
> introductory tutorials are about as close as a self-respecting author
> would care to get to a "Dummies" level).

I find it enormously enlightening, when someone suggests a method of
making dsssl more accessible, that there is a strong preference towards
a more scholarly (if well done) computer-science oriented book.  The
demonstrated lack of understanding of the *publishing* audience that
dsssl is *supposed* to serve makes it quite clear why dsssl is now and
will remain a guarded toy of elites.

You are not trying to inform analysts, you want to inform writers.  This
seems actually droll, to even consider that any author would be willing
to consider such a book.  Have you known any *non-technical* authors?

> Brandon and Sebastion are both right--we need more (any?) good material
> on DSSSL, both definitive and elegant (like the "Handbook"), as well as
> easy and pretty.  We were fortunate that the chief architect of SGML was
> also quite literate.  I don't even know if there was a "chief architect"
> of DSSSL, let alone what his or her literary inclinations are.  Maybe
> someone can eventually stitch together the pieces of the DSSSL
> Documentation project together to make a creditable book.  Better yet,
> is there any chance someone can collect information from members of the
> ISO working group that created DSSSL?  This, together with minutes and
> records of the working group, would provide some fascinating background.

Look at that last line.  Who do you think such things would be
"fascinating" to?  This *seems* as clear as glass!

Who is (or should be) dsssl's intended audience?

----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
Chuck Robey                 | Interests include any kind of voice or data 
chuckr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx       | communications topic, C programming, and Unix.
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