4 pages (includes index and floppy disk); ISBN 1-850-32197-3; $39.95.
The SGML Implementation Guide: A Blueprint for SGML Migration
by Brian E. Travis and Dale C. Waldt; Springer-Verlag, 1995; ISBN 3-540-57730-0; $49.50.
Developing SGML DTDs: From Text to Model to Markup
by Eve Maler and Jeanne El Andaloussi; Prentice-Hall, 1995; ISBN 0-13-309881-8; $45.
Although
the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a powerful tool, a large number of users have discovered that its limited set of tags and tools is not enough for environments that demand widespread reuse of complex information. One answer is Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), the data standard on which HTML is based. Four new books that untangle SGML's complexities take strikingly different approaches.
Experienced SGML analysts have criticized the first book,
Readme.1st
, as being too simple. The book targets SGML beginners, but its technical pedigree is impeccable: It's the first of a series of SGML books edited by Dr. Charles F. Goldfarb, one of the inventors of SGML. Written by a trio of SGML consultants, the book targets writers and editors who want to be able to use SGML's powerful tools but don't have computer-science degrees.
ABCD....SGML
is the book to buy when your primary goal is to explain SGML to managers or customers. Liora Alschuler's book has an extensive list of
case studies and sketches showing how organizations as diverse as Microsoft, Standard & Poor's, and a university press use SGML -- and the benefits reaped from doing so. In addition, the author explicitly devotes an entire chapter to the question "Who Needs It: Making the Case for SGML," an important subject that the other books take for granted or discuss only in passing.
If you're currently responsible for creating an SGML application,
The SGML Implementation Guide
may be your first choice. Its authors have nearly two decades of experience implementing SGML and offer a good overview of SGML projects, from the early steps of information analysis to the final stages of version control. They also give an overview of the language and discuss SGML's place in information management.
Developing SGML DTDs
focuses on the fundamental SGML process of building DTDs (Document Type Definitions), which create the structure that gives SGML both its power and its complexity. The DTD for HTML,
for example, uses about eight basic tags, while a DTD for a complex SGML application might define 200 tags. This book explains the step-by-step process that's required to produce the foundation of an SGML application.
The SGML Implementation Guide
and
Developing SGML DTDs
are complementary.
The SGML Implementation Guide
has a chapter on writing DTDs and devotes much of its space to the overall task of managing an SGML project. Topics include planning, conversion, and work-flow management.
Developing SGML DTDs
has a chapter on managing SGML projects but gives most of its attention to the mechanics of writing a useful DTD. The book uses a cookbook-and-recipes metaphor to provide examples of how to model an information set and create a DTD to reflect that model.
Bart Preecs works as a project manager for SiteWerks, a Web development company in Seattle. You can contact him at
bpreecs@sitewerks.com
.
Book Review
