Re: Docbook 5.x

I think the process should be something like this:

- Apply your XSLT performance patch.  The patch should be submitted to the next commit fest.

- Wait a while to make sure everyone is happy with the performance. Keep tweaking if necessary.

- Port all DSSSL customizations to XSLT.  Manually evaluate output for quality.

- Switch to XSLT build for official HTML documentation. [milestone 1]

- Convert sources to XML. (There could be substeps here.) [milestone 2]

- Then consider upgrading to DocBook 5. [milestone 3]

During the step from DocBook 4 to DocBook 5 [M3] we will face the problem that there are incompatibilities in the DocBook structure. Our source is affected by:

1. It's no longer possible to use <option> and <optional> in a recursive fashion.
2. The content model of <literal>, <function>, <command> and similar elements has changed.
   

In my opinion the first issue is not acceptable and the second one may need some DocBook redesign as well as manual changes in our source code. The DocBook TC has accepted this concerns and works on a solution. But as they are in the last phase of bringing 5.1 to an official OASIS standard, we probably have to wait (a long time) until 5.2. You can follow the discussion here: https://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/docbook/201606/msg00007.html and in a direct mail from Bob Stayton:

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Hi,
I'm investigating this issue.  I'm trying to track down the history and reasoning for this change, but have not yet completed that research.  It looks like a mistake to me to limit the content model so much when we were consciously trying to maintain backwards compatibility unless there were good reasons not to.

Bob Stayton
Sagehill Enterprises
bobs@sagehill.net
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Jürgen Purtz

Btw: Since 16 June 2016 Norman Welsh is no longer chairman of the TC. Now Bob holds this position, Norman changed to a 'normal' member of the TC.