Re: Serving XHTML as XML

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 09:06:02 -0500, Bailey, Bruce <Bruce.Bailey@ed.gov>  
wrote:

I just don't think writing translation tables should be
> expected of the average customer for something as mainstream as HTML!
>
>> and as you say, XSLT will take any XML through to Duxbury styles,
>> using the SGML import feature,
>> so XML is probably less of a problem than weak html.
>
> Have either of you tried feeding Duxbury non-trivial but well formed  
> HTML (or XHTML)?  Data tables cells are all run together.  Ordered lists  
> get a similar treatment (but UL is processed correctly).  Strong and EM  
> are ignored while B is handled.  I don't have a comprehensive list  
> because it makes me irrational.  The recommend work-around is to open  
> the HTML document in Word, save as a .doc file, and import that into  
> DBT.  Frightenly enough, this works reasonably well!  How do the open  
> standards advocates feel about that?

Fine. Although I am surprised that people have gone to the effort of  
translating the proprietary Word format, if it is really not possible to  
print a text dump from Links or W3M (since Lynx still handles tables  
badly, which is one of you apparent requirements).

What is the process for sharing a translation rules that some clever  
expert wrote? Do you buy it from Duxbury, or can you just pass them around?

cheers

Chaals

-- 
Charles McCathieNevile - Vice Presidente - Fundacion Sidar
charles@sidar.org                      http://www.sidar.org
     (chaals is available for consulting at the moment)