Re: DSSSL style editing (was: RE: Positioning...)

>>have you ever actually *done* this? For anything other than the most
>>trivial HTML, I think oyu'd be surprised at the results!!
>
>I have tried it and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but the
>cases were it doesn't work are basically bugs. This isn't an intrinsically
>hard problem.
>Another year and I think many of editing tools will be there.

An HTML will be somewhere else...

>Editing an arbitrary DSSSL style sheet in one GUI based editor and passing
>it on to another GUI base editor for editing seems to me like it a problem
>as difficult as solving the halting problem. 

Nope, it's not. Editing HTML pages is *at least* as difficult, and
probably more so (once you add CSS, JavaScript, Java, etc al. into
it). 

>I think the power of the web (and maybe its downfall) is that
>ordinary people without a lot of computer experience can create and
>edit content and make it available to the whole world. I think HTML,
>XML and CSS help bring more power to these ordinary users.

Sure, low cost of entry is *the* key to success. People have the power 
to create, and publish information electronically, at little cost.

>On the other hand, DSSSL is more like a power tool. If you want to do
>things that are beyond the capability of CSS and your willing and able to
>write programs, than something like DSSSL makes sense. 

Perhaps, though with application profiles (like DSSSL-O), you can 
simplify it. I do not think this is really necessary though.

>Are you saying that people will be able to create GUI editors for 
>arbitrary DSSSL style sheets that ordinary users can figure out.

Yes. Though there are different viewpoints to the problem that will
radically alter the overall structure of the editing environment.

>By the way are there any good books on DSSSL yet?

Not that I am aware of. I am contemplating writing one.

Received on Thursday, 6 February 1997 10:02:33 UTC