business case for abstract content

[This came up in PF, but it is an essential point in the "business case"
analysis.]

There is effort required to abstract the semantic content from its physical
expression.  "Universal" authoring does not come free.  But we need to make
better use of the cost studies at RNIB.  What they found was that using
SGML formalism was a cost savings for _anything that they were delivering
in two or more final forms_.  Looking at the cost differences as a function
of the number of final forms, they had already passed the cost crossover
point when they got to _two_.

Our target audience is people who will want to deliver the same message in
two or more forms.  This can be print+web, hotline+print,
audiotape+braille, it doesn't matter.  The economy is at the source. It
takes vision to realize that there are multiple media that the speaker
wants to reach with common information, in time to realize this economy.
Our awareness efforts have to be to help people grasp this vision, to raise
the consciousness in the authoring population of the media-spread in their
desired audience.

Al

>
>-h&kon
>
>Håkon Wium Lie             http://www.operasoftware.com/people/howcome
>howcome@operasoftware.com                      simply a better browser
>

Received on Friday, 4 June 1999 09:35:26 UTC