Sec: Unclassified RE: Proposal to use meinproc for Kubuntu

[Stoffers, Robert LAC]

-----Original Message-----
From: ubuntu-doc-bounces at lists.ubuntu.com
[mailto:ubuntu-doc-bounces at lists.ubuntu.com]On Behalf Of Sean Wheller
Sent: Thursday, 24 November 2005 6:11
To: ubuntu-doc at lists.ubuntu.com
Subject: Re: Proposal to use meinproc for Kubuntu


On Wednesday 23 November 2005 11:44, Bhuvaneswaran wrote:
> I've prepared a following proposal to change our build system for Kubuntu:
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocteamKubuntu
>
>This proposal makes absolute sense and was the intended furture direction. The 
>only reason docs adopted xsltproc was because it was part of GNOME and it was 
>easier to get people who were working on the GNOME Ubuntu, to use the GNOME 
>toolchain.
>
>When Kubuntu was added to the doc portfolio it was just easy or a reduced 
>learning curve.
>
>However, now that more people are working on Kubuntu I would suggest a move 
>toward mienproc since it would mean better integration with the build 
>environment for kde and kde-docs in general. While doing this I would also 
>recommend reverting translation tools, for Kubuntu, back to those supplied by 
>kdesdk


Whist it makes sense for KDE docs to be built using KDE tools, Matt is right in saying that meinproc does not support xincludes. Another key advantage of using xincludes is that when validating a document using xmllint it will give you the exact file name and line within that file at which the error occurred. Using entities on the other hand includes the second document as is, which means xmllint treats it as one document (and thus harder to find the error in).

There are a couple of good resources on the net, a simple google for "xinclude" should turn up a few of them. A quick overview can be found at http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/07/31/xinclude.html also. 

In my opinion the Kubuntu authors can use whatever they are happy and most conformable with. In the end its those members who have to deal with the tools, makefile etc. I also think that if they choose to use the KDE toolchain rather then the GNOME one that they should be prepared to be more involved with translations when the time comes, mainly due to the added difficultly of managing translations without xincludes (as we found out with the licences for Breezy).

----
Robert Stoffers
Author - Ubuntu Stater Guide
Ubuntu Documentation Team
rob1ATubuntu.com