Advice please: tools for docs development

[Ruslan Zasukhin]

Hi All,

We have try many different tools for docs writing and I am in big
frustration. I'd like to hear how people do docs, especially complex docs in
big companies, when many people evolved.

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Indesign -- one of the best DTP tool. From one side.
    but document is too monolithic.
    No way to have version control.
    no way to visually compare different versions.
 

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MS Visio -- really great tool for diagrams, but today I have found that it
cannot draw tables in Excel style

We need draw diagrams like this:

        f1  f2   f3                         b1  b2  b3  b4
        v1  v3   aaa    *  ------->         ww  rr  tt  hh
        v2  v4   bbb    *


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Our dream is:

* write docs as separate parts, paragraphs that are in many text files.
    then we can use CVS to store that files, monitor versions,
    see visually what lines/words was chaged in v1.4 comparing to 1.3

* make pictures as gif or jpg (to use them later in HTML format of docs).

* may be use some XML-based editors to produce that text files. Interesting
looks Xmetal of Corel.

* We want later COMBINE that text file into final LAYOT app like inDesign,
But problem with inDesign is that it insert a text file, and later do not
see changes in it.

* ability to produce from layout app both HTML and PDF. Yes inDesign can do
this good, but we have above problems with it.

* we want keep separate parts of docs in different languages, e.g. Russian,
English, German, Japan. This means that CVS is ideal for this. Because mans
who write/translate docs can be ion different parts of the world. Also CVS
allow them easy to see where was changed 3 lines yesterday?

* it is good idea to avoid expensive tools like inDesign, because then all
translators must have it. This is not good.


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So we need 
 
- repository like CVS
- version support
- comparison of versions
- inet access to repository
- integration with layout software and auto-updates in layout when text
changes.

Something like this. Anybody can advice?


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Because right now, just with 2 docs:

    ValentinaKernel2_ru.indd
    ValentinaKernel_en.indd

We have problems with synchronization.

If me today add few pages into _ru document, or even worse, change few words
in existed text, then tomorrow I can forget what exactly I have change, and
then how translator can find that places? InDesign do not help here. :-(


-- 
Best regards,
Ruslan Zasukhin      [ I feel the need...the need for speed ]
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e-mail: ruslan at paradigmasoft.com
web: http://www.paradigmasoft.com

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