--On Sunday, July 05, 2009 12:01 -0400 "Joel M. Halpern"
<jmh(_at_)joelhalpern(_dot_)com> wrote:
Having written a moderate number of drafts, using a number of
tools, I find that I strongly prefer using XML2RFC.
...
The current procedures allow for XML2RFC, Word, NROFF, and
manual text (if you really want.) Yes, to use any one of
those you have to figure out some idiosyncrasies of the
particular approach. So I am very confused why you are asking
us to kill a tool that was produced by volunteers, works very
well, and that many people use by choice.
I have seen some folks arguing that we should make XML2RFC
normative and mandatory. If they can figure out how to
automatically and accurate convert the other mechanisms people
use, then that can be considered. Otherwise, mandating would
be inappropriate, as some folks do indeed find it difficult.
...
+1
I also believe that some documents may argue for different
tools. In one document I've had to work on recently, I've had
to use the xml2rfc-> nroff -> text path (or could have started
in nroff), and it doesn't make me very happy. But that is, at
most, an argument for improving xml2rfc, not for getting rid of
it.
I do believe that we need to [regularly] reexamine the content
and format requirements for I-Ds to be sure that no set of tools
is inadvertently excluded or made more burdensome, but that is a
separate issue.
--On Monday, July 06, 2009 09:42 -0400 "Livingood, Jason"
<Jason_Livingood(_at_)cable(_dot_)comcast(_dot_)com> wrote:
How frequently do any of us work when we're not connected to
the Internet?
...
Quite a lot, actually. And it is why, as pointed out in an
earlier note, I think xml2rfc would benefit from a "report and
move on" strategy for dealing with external entity references
that cannot be retrieved and/or from a directive or attribute
that would permit use of a text placeholder as the body of a
<reference> element in documents under development rather than
the formal structure now required. But the tool is quite usable
without those enhancements and, even when I'm working offline
for an extended period, I haven't found that "edit offline,
compile after I get back on line" is a serious impediment to
getting work done.
john
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