Liora Alschuler, SGML: A User's Guide to Structured Information

SGML: A User's Guide to Structured Information. Published (1995) by International Thomson Computer Press. Liora Alschuler, Miles-Samuelson, Inc., East Thetford, Vermont. Paperbound, 1995. Market rights: WORLD. ISBN: 1-850-32197-3

Standardized General Markup Language is currently the leading standard for coding information so it can be used and reused in the widest variety of formats -- print, electronic media (CD-ROM), or on-line. It is a non-proprietary standard established by the International Standards Organization.
As it becomes more important to have information easily accessible to a variety of people, and as publishers of information want to prepare derivative products from the original information they copyright, it becomes economical sound to initially set up the information in a format geared for reuse.
Although simple in concept, implementing SGML is time-consuming, and expensive. Furthermore, it required a level of experise not readily available in most companies.
This book clears up the confusion about SGML -- what it is and when to use it -- and explains its value as a totally new way to manage information, and manage corporate information assets.
SGML is a language that makes it possible to describe and enforce the full intricacy of textual forms including nested hierarchy, hypertext anchors and links, and alternate versions. With SGML, the computer "knows" the difference between italics used for emphasis and italics used for foreign languages because the format used to present the information is independent from the markup that describes its structure. One immediate benefit of this separation is that the same text can be reused for print and for CD-ROM, saving publishers thousands of dollars in the cost of applying proprietary markup schemes for one typesetter or one CD-ROM publisher.

Table of Contents:

1. This book introduces basic concepts and practices
2. describes the components of an SGML system
3. illustrates how it is used by a series of case studies
4. assesses if SGML is for you
5. describes the process of converting to SGML
6. describes the process of working with SGML
7. and provides resources and referrals for more information.

Liora Alschuler, Miles-Samuelson, Inc., East Thetford, Vermont. Liora Alschuler is a technical publishing consultant working with Miles-Samuelson, Inc. and other clients throughout the northest from her home in East Thetford, Vermont. She has designed and written a wide variety of computer-based and hardcopy documentation and training and she taught a course on technical writing for the New York University School of Continuing Education. Her current work includes the development of low-cost, semi-automated, computer-based training and documentation for all types of software applications. She is a Senior Member of the STC and Associate Editor of Technical Communication for Computers and Communication where she edited two special sections on SGML in 1993.

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