Re: [Boost-docs] HTML to PDF translations?

Subject: Re: [Boost-docs] HTML to PDF translations?
From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-02-11 21:24:46

On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 10:16 AM, Paul A. Bristow
<pbristow_at_[hidden]> wrote:

>> Does anyone have any experience with a html to pdf converter that
>> would be suitable for automatically generating pdf's for libraries
>> that don't want to use quickbook?
>
> IMO it would be *much* better to translate everything from html to
> Quickbook.

>From my perspective Quickbook is a non-starter, because there is no
WYSIWYG editor available.

> Since it is a wiki-style almost anyone with Notepad or vi can edit it to
> correct mistakes and add new stuff.

The reduction in developer productivity, however, is quite remarkable.
I notice that every time I have to edit a Boost trac page, even though
that particular markup language is quite simple and it only takes a
few seconds to get an updated page view.

> This is really important for the future as more packages inevitably cease to
> be maintained by their original author.
>
> I can sympathize with people not wanting to give up their favourite tool
> (the devil they know), but this tool chain has produced by far the best end
> results, however complex it seems to get started (I know: I've suffered
> major hair loss/elevated blood pressure/deterioration in language/
> monitorial defenestration urges ... in the process).

You must be talking about some other toolchain than the one I've spent
endless hours trying to get to work correctly. The Boost docs
toolchain I'm familiar with only runs reliably on Linux, is
excruciatingly slow, breaks on a regular basis, and has any number of
other problems. It is hopelessly old fashioned from my perspective.

> I think we need to make it easier to get the toolchain working (figuring out
> why it doesn't is the major hassle), and provide a template and testing pack
> to get new documenters started.

Don't forget a WYSIWYG editor:-)

--Beman