DocBook or DITA?

XML is the future. You hear it at every conference you go to, in every magazine you pick up, in every article you read on-line. For technical writers, right now that future comes down to two products—DocBook or DITA. But what exactly are they, and which one should you choose? They are schemas for creating XML.

Technical Writer (2006). Articles>Documentation>DocBook>DITA

DocBook versus DITA: Will the Real Standard Please Stand Up?

More than a decade ago DocBook became the standard for the few brave souls forging ahead in XML publications. DocBook offered a cheaper and more efficient way to publish to multiple formats. Single-sourcing became a reality for hardware and software companies. However, in recent years, many in technical documentation publications have proclaimed DITA as the standard for XML documentation. DITA offered architecture in which to create and publish structured content. Are these two seemingly rival standards really that different? This article from Teresa Mulvihill answers this question with comparative examples, and allows you, the audience, to decide for yourselves.

Mulvihill, Teresa. Data Conversion Laboratory (2008). Articles>Documentation>DocBook>DITA

Modular Docs Part 2: DITA vs. DocBook

When IBM decided to focus on topic-oriented documentation, it created the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), even though there was already a huge investment in DocBook. Moving to a new architecture was a decidedly non-trivial undertaking--both technically and politically--so it is worth an inquiry as to the reasons for making that move.

Armstrong, Eric. Sun Microsystems (2008). Articles>Documentation>DocBook>DITA

DocBook to DITA Conversion Automation - Improving the Yield?

With DITA implementations on the rise, and an entrenched DocBook community already in place, the resulting market interest has spurred interest in automated DocBook to DITA conversion. So I would expect offerings of automated DocBook to DITA conversion scripts to emerge in the next 6-10 months. This article addresses the real questions, "What should I expect from automated tools?" and "Will they work for me?" from the viewpoint of live experience with numerous DocBook to DITA conversions. The answers to these questions are not usually obvious.

Vaysbukh, Mikhail. DCL (2008). Articles>Documentation>DocBook>DITA