Other intriguing tidbits are emerging about what to expect in DITA 1.3. There’s very little information that is definite for those who do not have membership in OASIS, but interestingly the development milestone website is publicly accessible, though most of the more detailed information it references can only be found within password-protected sections held withinRead More
This is a list of the “other” tools that are not DITA-optimized XML editors, or DITA-capable Component Content Management Systems (CCMSes). It’s a motley collection of tools, many of them customized specifically for use with DITA. All prices are in $US except where noted. Prices listed are current as of February 11, 2015. * DesignedRead More
Just over a week ago the people at Syncro Soft updated their oXygen XML Editor to version 15.2. What just caught my eye is the fact that there is already a DITA 1.3-specific feature added to the software, in anticipation of its release. Yup, DITA 1.3. Just when you think you’ve got your head aroundRead More
DITA software vendors: stop making it a chore for prospective buyers to find out how your product will help them author DITA content. You’d think that this would be self-evident, but as I work on compiling a list of DITA-optimized editors and Content Management Systems I am continually amazed at how hard some vendors makeRead More
Here’s something that seems have slipped under most people’s radar: a preliminary 2.0 release of the DITA Toolkit. Called a “milestone” build, this version of the DITA is the first reveal of what looks like a significant code revamp, at least when it comes to XSL processing, moving to the XSL 2.0 standard. According toRead More
One of the great things about YouTube (other than numerous videos of cats) is that if you are looking to learn more about a subject—like DITA XML—there’s plenty of material available for you. George Bina at SyncRO Soft recently sent me a link to several DITA and oXygen-related videos posted online, and I realized thatRead More
Recently I had the honour and opportunity to interview Leigh W. White, author of the recently-published DITA for Print from XML Press. In addition to having authored this book she also works for the DITA CCMS manufacturer Ixiasoft, working with their clients on configuring the system to their needs, and presumably helping out on theRead More
I don’t normally report on “dot dot” releases here, since the changes to any program at this level tends to be minor, but when it has been almost a year since the last significant update, I figure it is worth a mention here. On November 23rd Leximation released an update (v.1.1.17) to their popular FrameMakerRead More
Seemingly appropriate for Cyber Monday, here’s another interesting survey from the folks at CIDM that focuses on how firms are incorporating social media into their user documentation (or not). Again, not DITA-specific, but of real interest to anyone who is working with technical communications these days. Here’s a link to the survey. Here’s the blurbRead More
In a presentation I gave a couple of years ago, I talked about how I found some user-generated content that ended up helping me far more than the user manual did to solve a problem I was having with my washing machine. The user-generated content was more to the point and helped me diagnose theRead More
