DocBook is a collection of XML standards and tools for technical publishing. The DocBook document type definition (DTD) was developed during the 1990s to provide an application-independent method for creating computer documentation. But the basic 'book' features of DocBook can be used for other kinds of content, so it has been adapted to many purposes. DocBook is often compared against DITA, a similar but newer XML schema.
#32086
I'm not Technical. Why Should I Bother to Learn DocBook or DITA?
First of all, understand that you don’t have to learn it. Every year more and more toolds come out that help place a layer between you and the native XML. In a few years time you will hardly even realise there is XML underneath.
Technical Writer (2006). Articles>Information Design>DocBook>DITA
#32087
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
#33968
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
#34486
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
#34784
What a Technical Writer Should Know About DocBook?
DocBook is a set of tools for implementing XML (Extended Markup Language)-based structured documentation. It is developed back in 1991 and is widely used today by those technical writers who generate single-sourced documentation. It is especially well suited for software, hardware and networking documentation.
Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Documentation>XML>DocBook
#35017
Producing Documentation and Reusing Information in XML, Part 1: Document Publishing Using XML
XML provides a way to identify data items and subcomponents within any structured data set, but has its roots in documentation development and production. Robust, open standards for XML document markup and a rich set of freely available tools for XML document parsing and format conversion make it easy to install and configure a complete documentation development and formatting environment on any UNIX® or Linux® system.
von Hagen, William. IBM (2009). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>DocBook
#35018
Discover simple solutions to reuse information in XML documentation, such as how to use XInclude to include other documents at a given point in a document and how to use XPointer to include small document fragments from other documents or a similar pool of information in XML format. Also, get tips for structuring XML documentation to simplify information reuse, and learn how to maintain stand-alone documents that you can incorporate into larger documents.
von Hagen, William. IBM (2009). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>DocBook
#35019
Producing Documentation and Reusing Information in XML, Part 3: Creating Multi-Target XML Documents
XML is an optimal format for writing documentation that you can use with many different documentation software packages and production environments. In this third article in the series, discover how to create single-source documents that can produce output in a variety of different output formats.
von Hagen, William. IBM (2009). Articles>Documentation>XML>DocBook
#35041
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
