| We don't support customer/third-party manuals for the Bookreader at
this time, but Bookreader is part of SBT and SBT is on record as
promising that all of its technologies will be made available to
customers and CSOs.
Bookreader files are produced by an in-house variant of VAX Document
which will eventually find its way to customers. We are looking at
ways of accelerating that part of the schedule at this time.
We also plan on providing other routes to Bookreader using different
doc prep. systems and CDA capabilities.
By the way, the customers are miffed about this (they want it NOW),
but resources were limited and we're heavily focused on goal #1,
which is getting our own books on line and trying to preserve some
remnant of the US Forest reserves.
- greg
ps: the current Bookreader file format is proprietary and really
just a V1 shortcut ... we won't publish it because we _know_
it is going to change, perhaps dramatically.
Bookreader needs a level of structure (Table of contents,
index, cross reference pointers, some non-standard graphics)
that isn't fully supported by CDA/DDIF at this point in
time. It isn't that we ignored DDIF ... it was more a case
of it not being ready when we needed it.
|
|
****** ANNOUNCING ******
VMS Online Documentation Library on Compact Disc
___________________________________________________________
Library of books for use with the DECwindows Bookreader
including over 30,000 pages of high-quality text and
graphics.
+ VMS extended documentation set
+ VMS DECwindows documentation set
+ VAX FORTRAN and VAX DBMS preview documentation
___________________________________________________________
Introduction
The VMS Online Documentation Library compact disc is one of the
ways that the Software Business Technologies program provides
effective solutions for enhancing the distribution, access, and
management of Digital software and documentation. This online
documentation library is a companion to the VMS Consolidated
Software Distribution compact disc, and both offerings are
released six times per year (See Sales Update, March 20,1989
for more details about the software offering.
Description
The VMS Online Documentation Library, consisting of several
documentation sets formatted for retrieval by the VMS DECwindows
Bookreader, is available on March 20, 1989. The Bookreader is
an out-of-the-box DECwindows application that is included with
the VMS Version 5.1 release. Digital intends to provide support
for the Bookreader on the entire family of DECwindows platforms
as part of the ongoing DECwindows program. At this time,
however, Digital has no plans to support online documentation
on character cell terminals that do not support the DECwindows
protocol.
Since online documentation is, by definition, software (in the
sense that executes as code on a computer), access to the VMS
and VMS Layered Products online documentation is granted as
part of every user's VMS software license, beginning with VMS
Version 5.1. Customers can automatically read any VMS online
documentation for which they have registered a corresponding
software Product Authorization Key (PAK). For example, a PAK
registered for FORTRAN software will allow users to access the
FORTRAN online documentation automatically.
In addition by registering the VMS BOOKBROWSER PAK, included
at no extra charge on every VMS Online Documentation Library
compact disc, customers have access to all of the online docu-
mentation provided that disc. Instructions for setting up the
compact disc and registering the VMS BOOKBROWSER PAK are in-
cluded in the cover letter for the VMS Online Documentation
Library compact disc.
The March VMS Online Documentation Library disc contains the
following documentation sets:
+ VMS Extended Set (Version 5.1)
+ VMS DECwindows
+ VAX DBMS Sample Documentation
+ VAX FORTRAN Sample Documentation
The compact disc is pre-formatted for online use so that no
additional installation is required. Once the compact disc has
been properly mounted, the online documentation files can be
accessed by multiple users simultaneously using the DECwindows
Bookreader.
The Bookreader provides a unique user productivity tool and
a quick and simple method of access to online documentation.
Bookreader features include:
+ Multi window, multi book display
+ Integrated text and graphics
+ Mouse selection of objects
+ Table-of-contents access
+ Index access
+ Next page/previous page
+ Next topic/previous topic
+ Scrolling bar for scanning text
+ Automated cross-referencing
+ Library of books and bookshelves
+ Online help
Ordering, Availability, and Price
At this time, the VMS Online Documentation Library compact disc
is available only as a separately purchased a la carte product,
and not under update service. The name and order number for the
March edition of the disc are:
External (Customer) Orders --
VMS Online Documentation Library-March 1989 QA-VYRAA-G8
(MLP $895)
Internal Orders --
VMS Online Documentation Library-March 1989 AI-NC68A-BE
(Internal transer aprox. $50)
A new compact disc will be available every other month, and,
over the next several months, will contain additional layered
product documentation sets, as well as any updates to the docu-
mentation already released. The next disc is scheduled for early
May.
What Customers Need
In order to utilize the VMS Online Documentation Library, cus-
tomers need
+ VAXstation processor
+ VMS software Version 5.1 (or later) with DECwindows installed
+ CDROM reader (either RRD50 or RRD40 model, depending on the
CPU bus)
+ VMS Online Documentation Library Compact Disc
The CDROM reader can be purchased separately (for instance,
the RRD50 CDROM reader with Q-bus controller included sells for
$1325 - please contact Anne Blanchard (DTN 291-9624) for more
information about CDROM readers). By attaching the CDROM reader
either to a single CPU, to a CPU resident in a VAXcluster, or to
a CPU in a network, a VAXstation customer can access the online
documentation using the DECwindows Bookreader application.
Multiple users (or VAXstations) can access a single online
documentation disc simultaneously.
If customers prefer, they can copy all of the files included
on the VMS Online Documentation Library compact disc to another
(magnetic) disk from which users can also access the files using
the DECwindows Bookreader. Accessing the online documentation
files from a magnetic disk may provide only a marginal increase
in performance, and this depends on the number of simultaneous
users.
Customer Benefits
Online documentation provides several benefits to customers.
+ Access to a library of Digital's technical documentation
+ Compact storage containing thousands of pages of text and
graphics
+ Software designed to maximize the information retrieval
capabilities
+ Increased integration of documentation with software
+ Rapid access to all documentation by all users
+ Access to latest version of manuals
Digital has always produced high-quality technical documenta-
tion. Now Digital is providing the same excellent documentation
in the most innovative and convenient fashion.
Competition
Digital leads the industry in providing a consolidated library
of technical documentation on CDROM for use with an online
Bookreader application. Other vendors, such as Apollo, Sun,
and Symbolics, offer online documentation for their systems.
However, their documentation is not distributed on CDROM, nor
does it include the extensive use of online graphics represented
in the Digital documentation sets. Hewlett-Packard and MicroSoft
have also distributed a limited set of documentation products
on CDROM, but only Digital combines the advantages of CDROM
delivery with the innovative DECwindows interface to provide a
superior user productivity tool on line. The technology and
information offered by Digital are unique, and equally important,
Digital has it now!
________________________________________________________________
For more information contact:
Marian R. Weisenfeld
VMS Base Systems Platform Engineering
DTN: 381-1469
MS: ZKO1-3/J35
VAXMAIL: BLUMON::WEISENFELD
________________________________________________________________
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