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Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

Title:DECWINDOWS 26-JAN-89 to 29-NOV-90
Notice:See 1639.0 for VMS V5.3 kit; 2043.0 for 5.4 IFT kit
Moderator:STAR::VATNE
Created:Mon Oct 30 1989
Last Modified:Mon Dec 31 1990
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3726
Total number of notes:19516

403.0. "VMS doco on CD format?" by MSDOA::RESTUCCIO (The Balance of Nature) Tue Mar 14 1989 16:50

    What format is the VMS documentation on a CD stored in?  Is bookreader
    reading an ASCII file? is it DDIF format?
    
    
    Thanks
    
    Jeff
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
403.1STAR::MFOLEYRebel without a ClueTue Mar 14 1989 17:378

	It's in BOOKREADER format. It's currently an output of VAX Document.
	(Instead of LN03 or POSTSCRIPT, you'd specify BOOKREADER or ONLINE.
	I can't remember which)

						mike
403.2Both actually.....IO::MCCARTNEYJames T. McCartney III - DTN 381-2244 ZK02-2/N24Tue Mar 14 1989 19:575


	Document mydocument.sdml online bookreader
403.3STAR::ROBERTWed Mar 15 1989 07:145
Note that that is an internal version of VAX Document only.
It is not a product at this time.

- greg
403.4The answer is......YesCVG::PETTENGILLmulpWed Mar 15 1989 22:1517
Based on other notes discussing the the bookreader et al, I believe the answer
to your question `What format is the VMS documentation on a CD stored in?'
is that it is stored in `virtual' DDIF format.  In other words, they want it to
be in DDIF format (which doesn't really say that much about the format), but
the necessary resources (for example, time) weren't available to make that
happen for the first release.

Anticipating your next questions, I think it is safe to say that the answers are:

Yes, it will be possible at some future, undetermined, date for customers and
ISVs to create Bookreader books.  The work on this is on-going.

Yes, Bookreader will be available on Ultrix at some future, undetermined, date.

Yes, the Ultrix documentation will be available at some future, undetermined,
date.
403.5Where can I get the VAX Document filesWHYNOW::NEWMANWhat, me worry? YOU BET!Thu Mar 16 1989 06:277
    Where can I get the necessary internal VAX Document files to be able to
    produce documents in BOOKREADER format?
    
    THanks
403.6STAR::ROBERTThu Mar 16 1989 08:1529
re: .5

Try Mary Utt of CUP engineering at VAXUUM::UTT

re: .4

Minor correction ... we want to be able to import DDIF files into
Bookreader books, but we will probably ship our own documentation
in some other format for an indefinate time ... that format is
optomized for fast onscreen display and contains "book" info like
cross references, pop-up graphics, table of contents, indexes, etc.
that are expressible in DDIF today.

We know that limits the ability to "print" Bookreader books.
We know that is a customer need/requirement/desire, but we don't
think the Bookreader is the answer.  We have another proposal
that is under review (but not very aggressively).

We hope the customers will eventually have a choice of several
documentation preparation systems, revisable and final form
formats (include CDA/DDIF), and the choice to _either_ ship
Bookreader books that contain revisable DDIF or final form,
or a mixture of both.

... a CDA/DDIF to Bookreader translator, for example, is an
interesting possibility.

- greg