SGML and Lout

[Ian Jackson]

Before you go off and write something yourself, I'd just like to plug
my own effort in this area.

It's called `debiandoc-sgml', and converts a _very_ simple SGML DTD
into Lout (and hence PostScript), HTML and plain text (overstruck a la
roff or not - but it doesn't use roff).

It's advantages over linuxdoc-sgml are:
 * The markup language (DTD) is documented.
 * It produces good output in all its output formats for all input
   constructs in the DTD.
 * It handles metacharacter escaping properly (unlike most
   sgmlsasp-based arrangements).

It's disadvantages are:
 * The DTD is very minimal and there is no documentation on adding
   support for new document features (though a competent person
   shouldn't find it too hard).
 * There is no TeX or Info output.

Documentation is in the package in SGML form; you can also read the
HTML version at
<URL:http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~ijackson/debiandoc-sgml-markup/>.

It's available on ftp.debian.org (and mirrors) in
/debian/unstable/source/text and will compile and run nicely on most
Linux systems.  Debian Linux binary packages are in the distribution.

You will need SP (aka nsgmls), SGMLSpm (the Perl modules mentioned
elsewhere in this thread), Lout (if you want PostScript output) and
linuxdoc-sgml (for a single character mapping file which I didn't
want to copy).

Ian.