File Formats: When to convert? Why? How? Jabin White SSP Seminar, October 26, 2000 Washington, DC

Agenda Introductions Why convert? File format options When to convert That was easy, now what? Tips and tricks of re-engineering Conclusions

Who am I? Started as Editorial Assistant, then DE Learned SGML at Mosby working on Physicians GenRx Moved to Williams & Wilkins in 1997, merged with L-R in responsible for “front-end” SGML initiative since 1998 Started at Unbound Medicine in June of 2000 as Content Specialist -- liaison between authors, editorial, and technology

A Famous 20th Century Visionary: “I believe that it is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.”

Thomas Edison, 1913, on the impact of motion picture technology on schools.

Web presence The point is, everyone agrees with the need to be there, but *how much* and *how* is really up to the individual publisher Best practice is to lower the bar on getting data to the web, making “all data” a likely candidate for web display

Why convert? Everyone knows that great changes lie ahead; no one knows what they will be Except for pornographers, few, if any, publishers are deriving the majority of their revenues from the web -- See story from earlier this weekSee story from earlier this week Too many unknowns to count on the Web as a profit center That’s not an excuse to *not* play

File format options, 1 Print –Anything (if you have the right vendor): MS Word, WordPerfect, other word processing formats –Proprietary typesetter format Desktop (Quark, PageMaker, etc.) Batch pagination (XyVision, Miles, Penta, etc.) Web –HTML (HyperText Markup Language) –XML (eXtensibile Markup Language)

File format options, 2 Licensing –ASCII –Composition files –SGML/XML –Anything, including paper (if you have the right VAR) Storage SGML/XML Proprietary at vendor ($$$$$$$)

Print options Depending on your vendor, your options are endless Flexibility by vendor is a good thing, but it doesn’t always serve “other” outputs Best bet is to be firm on your platform, and make print “just another output” of data –Easy to say, not so easy to do

Desktop formats Quark –The “Roach Motel” of publishing tools –Wonderful tool for making pages, user loyalty off the scales –Avenue.Quark seems promising, but wait and see –“Roll your own” scripts and Xtensions for now Adobe –PageMaker (same story as Quark) –InDesign: Too early to tell, 1.0 reviews were not good, 1.5 hit in August 2000 to a bit “warmer” reception

The “proof” problem Boom in desktop publishing “spoiled” authors Authors used to seeing exact replica of final page, including table and figure placement Makes composition from SGML/XML source files more complicated, but not impossible

HardestEasiest

When to convert???

The Earlier, the better Human beings doing markup will always provide smarter tagging than machines Costs absorbed during “traditional” editing process More timely delivery of final files to web Greater file flexibility allows publishers to take advantage of technology for peer review, proof review, etc.

When to convert? Like many things with SGML/XML, easy to say, not so easy to do Takes commitment from top down to the trenches to embrace “front end” SGML/XML tagging Off-the-shelf tools do not support a “painless” transition for a typical editor

Decisions, decisions Decision to move tagging upstream in the publishing cycle must be an individual one A business decision, not a technology decision The more information, the better –By its nature, SGML is a very “open” community Get help! Lots available, but watch out for sharks

The dream production cycle ManuscriptPage Proof Correct SGML file AA’s Valid archive Conversion into SGML Next edition? Pages, web Style sheet

That was easy … now what? Front-end SGML/XML solution provides greatest “bang for buck” Careful implementation and open communication are keys Again, not technology issues, but business and people issues Sea change in corporate culture

Editorial & Production Traditional “wall” must come down for SGML/XML to be effectively entered on front end of publishing cycle

Tips & Tricks of Re-Engineering If you don’t have in-house expertise, get help! Morale counts, especially for those “in the trenches” Phased-in, pragmatic approach Buy-in from all parties Open communication, both internal and external

Who tags? Production has and always will drive *format* driven tagging –,,, etc. Editorial, working with authors, should drive intelligent markup The closer to the authors you can get, the better –Please stop laughing

The Solution (you get what you pay for) Easy, cheap Moderate, moderate Difficult and expensive Little gain Some gain Tremendous long-term benefits

Sample chapters, journal articles on web site Convert production files into HTML one by one –“Save text” from Quark, XyVision dump Post to web site with information about how to buy hard copies

Very inexpensive to implement Little to no impact on production workflow A way of letting customers know what you have to offer Advantages

No risk means little reward Options are limited if you want to “do more” Not taking full advantage of technology available today Disadvantages

Third-party vendors can offer “full service” ability to get to web Offers same “low impact” on workflow, but at a price Again, flexibility is limited by costs, vendor capabilities Advantages

SGML/XML from the beginning Takes long-term commitment, patience in a short- term world Management wants you to press the “SGML button” :-) –Must be able to explain often complex problems in management terms –Don’t underestimate need for “person-power” Means a change in corporate culture, and some skill sets

Advantages Maximum flexibility Minimum re-work required from one output to another –No need to proofread after each conversion A little understanding by non-technical editorial staff goes a long way; opens other possibilities

Disadvantages Up-front costs, in both time and money, can be daunting Transition of skill sets, watch employee morale Must manage external vendors carefully

Content Front-end SGML Publishing Format-level tags using structured tool Assistance in defining tag set, advocate for market-driven electronic products Recognition that “SGML button” does not exist The “roadmap” to intelligent content. All parties must participate. Turns MS over to production, leads definition of tag set DTD, template design, DTD maintenance Not “tech support.” Calls for unique skill set. Assist Editorial in defining tag set Application Support Authors, Marketing, Customers Editorial Production Electronic Publishing Top-level management DTDs SGML/XML Expertise

The Right Level of SGML Vendor-Specific Markup Theoretical, Ivory Tower, Pie-in-the-Sky SGML SGML-“based” Systems Appropriate (IMHO)

Conclusions Tools are getting better Plenty of help available Positives of early conversion to “media neutral” format far outweigh the negatives

Thank you Questions? PowerPoint file available on web at