VPIEJ-L Discussion Archives
March 1992
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 12:59:26 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
From: James Powell
======================================================================== 24
Received: from VTVM1 (GMCMILLA) by vtvm1.cc.vt.edu (Mailer R2.08 R208002) with
BSMTP id 7646; Tue, 03 Mar 92 13:44:05 EST
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 92 13:17:23 EST
From: GMCMILLA@VTVM1
Subject: Net-News and more
To: jpowell@vtvm1
I recently heard from an electronic journal editor that he expected libraries
to print his journal and put it on their shelves along with traditional jour-
nals. I was shocked to hear this. The advantages of e-journals include not
having to label, bind, security strip, and shelve them.
Do other electronic journal editors expect libraries to be bound by past prac-
tices and traditional formats? Have they any suggestions about how libraries
might handle e-journals?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.........................James Powell.........................
___....____________......Systems Support and Development......
\ \../ ___ ___/.........University Libraries, VPI & SU....
.\ \/ /../ /.............Blacksburg, VA - (703) 231-4987...
..\ /../ /..............FAX (703) 231-3694................
...\ /../ /.................................................
....\/../__/..........INTERNET.....JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU....
..........................(OR).....JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU....
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 14:41:16 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
From: James Powell
Subject: opening up?
How do people feel about opening this list up to the general BITNET/Internet
public who are involved or interested in publishing electronic journals?
As far as I know there is no discussion group for e-journal publishing.
You can reply to the list or to me directly (jpowell). Thanks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.........................James Powell.........................
___....____________......Systems Support and Development......
\ \../ ___ ___/.........University Libraries, VPI & SU....
.\ \/ /../ /.............Blacksburg, VA - (703) 231-4987...
..\ /../ /..............FAX (703) 231-3694................
...\ /../ /.................................................
....\/../__/..........INTERNET.....JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU....
..........................(OR).....JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU....
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 14:59:28 -0500
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
From: "Lon K. Savage"
Subject: opening up?
*** Reply to note of 03/04/92 14:48
Scholarly Communications Project
Newman Library 24061-0434
James - There is an Association of Electronic Scholarly Journals, of which
several of us are members (and you should be, too), which puts out a discussion
that is sometimes quite lively. The address is AESJ-L@ALBNYVM1. It's a closed
list, I believe, but we can arrange for you to be on it. Others on it include
Buddy, Paul Gherman, Mahmood Khan and perhaps a few more. - Lon.
University Libraries
P.O. Box 90001
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
703/231-4922
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 15:05:27 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
From: GMCMILLA@VTVM1.BITNET
Subject: Re: opening up?
In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 04 Mar 92 15:02:08 EST from
Thanks for forwarding this note. I just received it also on VPIEJ-L. xoxo
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1992 09:21:41 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals at Virginia Tech"
From: James Powell
Subject: Opening up
So far, every response I have received reguarding opening up this list to
everyone has been positive. So, I plan to open the list up this week to the
public. I will be advertising it in various lists. If you have ideas about
where I can publicize the list, let me know. Thanks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.........................James Powell.........................
___....____________......Systems Support and Development......
\ \../ ___ ___/.........University Libraries, VPI & SU....
.\ \/ /../ /.............Blacksburg, VA - (703) 231-4987...
..\ /../ /..............FAX (703) 231-3694................
...\ /../ /.................................................
....\/../__/..........INTERNET.....JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU....
..........................(OR).....JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU....
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1992 10:04:06 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: James Powell
Subject: opened up
VPIEJ-L is now open to anyone. This announcement was sent to both PACS-L and
NEW-LIST. If you have other suggestions for advertising this list, please
let me know. Thanks. James.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VPIEJ-L@VTVM1
VPIEJ-L@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
VPIEJ-L is a discussion list for electronic publishing issues, especially
those related to Scholarly Electronic Journals. Topics for discussion include
SGML, PostScript, and other e-journal formats; as well as software and hardware
considerations for creation of, storage, and access to e-journals. Publishers,
editors, technical staff, programmers, librarians, and end-users are welcome
to join. One goal of the list is to provide better feedback from users to
creators, so we are very interested in receiving and archival issues. This
should give those of us involved in publishing an idea as to what distribution
methods work and how end-users are accessing and using these publications.
Current readers of and contributors to VPIEJ-L have discussed readability
and screen display, copyright, and advertising (noncommercial).
Archives of VPIEJ-L are available. A listing may be retrieved by sending a
command INDEX VPIEJ-L to LISTSERV@VTVM1.
To subscribe, send the following command to LISTSERV@VTVM1 via mail or
interactive message:
SUB VPIEJ-L your_full_name
where "your_full_name" is your name. For example:
SUB VPIEJ-L Joan Doe
Owner: James Powell
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.........................James Powell.........................
___....____________......Systems Support and Development......
\ \../ ___ ___/.........University Libraries, VPI & SU....
.\ \/ /../ /.............Blacksburg, VA - (703) 231-4987...
..\ /../ /..............FAX (703) 231-3694................
...\ /../ /.................................................
....\/../__/..........INTERNET.....JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU....
..........................(OR).....JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU....
=========================================================================
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1992 13:22:23 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: James Powell
Subject: CATALYST and JTE-L
Welcome all new subscribers! The number of subscribers to this list passed
100 easily within 24 hours of advertising. (I hope this won't come as a
shock to our local subscribers - this list has been operational for a month
on the Virginia Tech campus).
University Libraries and the Scholarly Communications Project have made
two new journals available: The Community Services CATALYST and the Journal
of Technology Education. Both are currently available to subscribers of
their respective lists: CATALYST and JTE-L both available through LISTSERV@
VTVM1. A formal announcement will be posted shortly for JTE-L but let me
just tell you this is our first journal to include graphics and we are very
excited about it. Please take a look at these journals and tell us what you
think and what you are working on. Thanks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.........................James Powell.........................
___....____________......Systems Support and Development......
\ \../ ___ ___/.........University Libraries, VPI & SU....
.\ \/ /../ /.............Blacksburg, VA - (703) 231-4987...
..\ /../ /..............FAX (703) 231-3694................
...\ /../ /.................................................
....\/../__/..........INTERNET.....JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU....
..........................(OR).....JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU....
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1992 21:24:02 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: MICHAEL STRANGELOVE <441495@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA>
The following is a short file that I have put together to point out some
of the networked resources for those interested in network distributed
electronic serials. Feel free to make use of this file and please let me
know if I have overlooked anything.
- Michael Strangelove
---------------------------------------------------------------------
MISCELLANEOUS ONLINE E-SERIAL RESOURCES
The _Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters_ is now available in
electronic text from a public access fileserver and consists of two files.
These may be obtained by sending the email message to listserv@uottawa or
listserv@acadvm1.uottawa.ca
Get EJournL1 Directry
Get EJournL2 Directry
Please note the spelling of the files carefully.
A second, revised edition is on its way to press and will also soon be
available on the Net.
The Directory documents over 26 e-journals and 63 e-newsletters. Special
thanks to Ann Okerson at the Association of Research Libraries for her
support and guidance in this project. For information on how to obtain a
print copy, contact:
Ann Okerson
Association of Research Libraries
1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
ARLHQ@UMDC.Bitnet
(202) 232-2466 (voice)
(202) 462-7849 (fax)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PUBLIC-ACCESS COMPUTER SYSTEMS REVIEW - SPECIAL ISSUE ON E-SERIALS
The following articles can be retrieved by sending the commands listed below
as an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU
Amiran, Eyal. (1991). "Postmodern Culture: Publishing in the Electronic
Medium." GET AMIRAN PRV2N1
Harrison, Teresa. (1991). "Online Journals: Disciplinary Designs for
Electronic Scholarship." GET HARRISON PRV2N1
Harnad, Stevan. (1991). "Post-Gutenburg Galaxy: The Fourth Revolution in the
Means of Production of Knowledge." GET HARRISON PRV2N1
Hugo, Jane, and Linda Newell. (1991) "New Horizons in Adult Education: The
First Five Years (1987-1991)." GET HUGO PRV2N1
Jennings, Edward. "EJournal: An Account of the First Two Years."
GET JENNINGS PRV2N1
Okerson, Ann. (1991). "The Electronic Journal: What, Whence, and When?".
GET OKERSON PRV2N1
Savage, Lon. (1991). "The Journal of the International Academy of Hospitality
Research." GET SAVAGE PRV2N1
Tuttle, Marcia. "The Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues."
GET TUTTLE PRV2N1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER ONLINE E-SERIAL RESOURCES
Nilson, Erik. (1991). "Ideas for Electronic Newsletters."
Available from Listserv@Uottawa or Listserv@Acadvm1.Uottawa.CA
as START-UP ENEWSLTR
CCNEWS - Campus Computing Newsletter
An electronic newsletter that focuses on writing, editing, design, and
production of campus computing publications. To subscribe: send an
interactive message or mail to LISTSERV@BITNIC containing:
SUB CCNEWS your name
An index of back issues is available by sending an interactive message
or mail to LISTSERV@BITNIC containing: GET ARTICLES INDEX
Contact: Wendy Rickard Bollentin, Editor. CCNEWS@EDUCOM
Scholarly Electronic Journals and Electronic Publishing Issues List
VPIEJ-L@VTVM1.BITNET
VPIEJ-L@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
VPIEJ-L is a discussion list for electronic publishing issues, especially
those related to Scholarly Electronic Journals. To subscribe, send the
following command to LISTSERV@VTVM1 or LISTSERV@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU in the BODY
of mail (NOT subject) or in an interactive message:
SUB VPIEJ-L your name
Contact: James Powell, List Owner
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Michael Strangelove
Department of Religious Studies
University of Ottawa
BITNET: 441495@Uottawa
Internet: 441495@Acadvm1.Uottawa.CA
S-Mail: 177 Waller, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5 CANADA
Voice: (613) 237-2052
FAX: (613) 564-6641
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 08:59:24 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "Charles Bailey, University of Houston"
In-Reply-To: Message of Mon,
16 Mar 1992 21:24:02 EST from <441495@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA>
The GET command for Harnad's paper is not correct. It should be:
"GET HARNAD PRV2N1." I recommend using the form of the GET command that
includes the "F=MAIL" switch: "GET HARNAD PRV2N1 F=MAIL."
For the benefit of list readers who are not on PACS-L, I include below a
detailed description of the PACS Review issue on e-serials.
Best Regards,
Charles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE PACS REVIEW ON NETWORK-BASED
ELECTRONIC SERIALS
By Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
Network-based electronic serials are serials that are
primarily "published" on computer networks like
BITNET and Internet. Little has been written about these
innovative publications; however, the first issue of
volume two of The Public-Access Computer Systems Review
provides a rare inside look at them in a "Special
Section on Network-Based Electronic Serials."
All of the authors in this special section have played an important
role in fostering this new communication medium, and most are the
editors and/or publishers of e-serials.
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic journal
that is published by the University of Houston Libraries.
You can retrieve an article by sending one of the commands listed
after the article's description in an e-mail message to
LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 (BITNET) or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet).
The first command retrieves the article as a file. The second
command retrieves the article as an e-mail message. If you
are not an experienced network user or you are not on BITNET, it
is recommended that you retrieve articles as e-mail messages.
ARTICLES IN THE SPECIAL SECTION ON NETWORK-BASED ELECTRONIC
SERIALS
In "The Electronic Journal: What, Whence, and When?," Ann Okerson
surveys current and future e-journal publication activities. She
discusses publishers' visions of e-journals, and she identifies
four major groups of potential e-journal publishers: existing
publishers, intermediary organizations (e.g., ISI and CARL),
researchers and scholars, and universities. She concludes by
forecasting how e-journals may evolve during the next 9 years.
(GET OKERSON PRV2N1 or GET OKERSON PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
In "Online Journals: Disciplinary Designs for Electronic
Scholarship," Teresa Harrison et al. examine and critique the e-
journal concept, then describe the Electronic Journal of
Communication/La Revue Electronique de Communication (EJC/REC).
EJC/REC is a referred, bilingual journal dealing with
communication. It is part of the innovative Comserve service,
which provides communication scholars with a variety of
electronic information services (e.g., directory information,
journal indexes, access to over 1,000 files, and 20 computer
conferences). (GET HARRISON PRV2N1 or GET HARRISON PRV2N1
F=MAIL)
In "Post-Gutenburg Galaxy: The Fourth Revolution in the Means of
Production of Knowledge," Stevan Harnad discusses the three
historical revolutions in knowledge production (speech, writing,
and print) and the emerging fourth revolution--electronic
"skywriting" on the Net. He examines the limitations of our
print-based scholarly communication system, and describes how
electronic communication can support scholarly skywriting, a
process that allows scholars to get rapid feedback about
promising ideas and theories from colleagues worldwide. He then
describes Psycoloquy, a referred psychology e-journal that
embodies the scholarly skywriting process. (GET HARNAD PRV2N1 or
GET HARNAD PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
In "The Journal of the International Academy of Hospitality
Research," Lon Savage describes a referred e-journal for
researchers in hotel, restaurant, and institutional management
and tourism. JIAHR is sponsored by the International Academy of
Hospitality Research and published by Virginia Tech's Scholarly
Communications Project. JIAHR issues are composed of single
articles, and a related computer conference complements the
journal. Savage discusses how individual subscribers and
libraries have dealt with receiving an e-journal. JIAHR is an
interesting example of how the Net can be used to publish a fee-
based journal for a small, specialized audience. (GET SAVAGE
PRV2N1 or GET SAVAGE PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
In "Postmodern Culture: Publishing in the Electronic Medium,"
Eyal Amiran and John Unsworth describe the refereed journal
Postmodern Culture, which deals with contemporary literature,
theory, and culture. Postmodern Culture is free on the Net, and
a subscription fee is charged for disk or microfiche versions of
the journal. A computer conference, PMC-Talk, complements the
journal. The authors also discuss the future of e-journals.
(GET AMIRAN PRV2N1 or GET AMIRAN PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
In "New Horizons in Adult Education: The First Five Years (1987-
1991)," Jane Hugo and Linda Newell describe the evolution of one
of the first (if not the first) refereed e-journals on the Net.
This unique adult education journal is edited by graduate students.
(GET HUGO PRV2N1 or GET HUGO PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
In "EJournal: An Account of the First Two Years," Edward Jennings
provides a personal look at his efforts to establish and publish
a refereed e-journal on electronic networks and texts. This
behind-the-scenes narrative reveals some of the trials and
tribulations that may face the prospective e-journal publisher.
(GET JENNINGS PRV2N1 or GET JENNINGS PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
In "The Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues," Marcia Tuttle
describes the evolution and publishing practices of this e-
newsletter, which deals with serials concerns. In addition to
BITNET and Internet, the newsletter is also published on ALANET,
DataLinx, and EBSCONET. She also discusses a variety of
electronic publishing issues. (GET TUTTLE PRV2N1 or GET TUTTLE
PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
ANOTHER ARTICLE OF INTEREST FROM THE SAME ISSUE
In "How to Start and Manage a BITNET LISTSERV Discussion Group: A
Beginner's Guide," Diane Kovacs et al. discuss the steps to set
up and run a computer conference using the Revised LISTSERV
software. LISTSERV is a very widely used software package that
supports both computer conferences and e-serial publication on
BITNET (many existing e-serials are distributed with this
software). It runs on IBM mainframes under the VM/CMS operating
system. (GET KOVACS PRV2N1 or GET KOVACS PRV2N1 F=MAIL)
Copyright (C) 1992 by Charles W. Bailey, Jr. All Rights Reserved.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 10:14:33 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: James Powell
Subject: PostScript
Anyone who has taken a look at the files stored for the first issue of
the Journal of Technology Education (JTE-L) may find this useful. The
first electronic issue of JTE (v. 3, no. 2) includes a PostScript graphic
file along with the ASCII text files.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frequently Asked Questions in comp.lang.postscript
Version 1.06 Last Changed 5-29-91
No warranty is made as to the validity of the answers below.
I don't work for any of these companies, and I've used only
some of these products, so there will probably be minor
errors. I welcome corrections.
If you think of questions appropiate for this FAQ, or would
like to improve on an answer, please email me at the address
below.
If you manage an FTP PostScript repository, please leave a
copy of this there as I don't have FTP access.
================================================================
What is EPS?
How do I convert PS to EPS?
How can I convert PS to [other graphics format]?
How can I convert [other graphics format] to PS?
How can I convert ASCII text to PS?
How can I display PS on my [brand x] computer?
Should I leave my printer on?
How do I suppress the power-on start page?
How do I remove a persistent ("permanent") downloaded font?
How do I reset the printer without power-cycling?
What documentation is available on the PostScript language?
How do I get bitmap representations of Adobe fonts?
What FTP resources are available?
How do I get in touch with Adobe?
Where can I get official documentation?
How do I get the physical size of a page?
================================================================
What is EPS?
How do I convert PS to EPS?
An Encapsulated PostScript file (EPSF) is a standard format for
importing and exporting PostScript language files in all
environments. It is usually a single page PostScript language
program that describes an illustration. The purpose of the EPS
file is to be included as an illustration in other PostScript
language page descriptions. The EPS file can contain any
combination of text, graphics, and images. An EPS file is the
same as any other PostScript language page description, with
some restrictions.
An EPS file must be a conforming file, that is, it must conform
to the document structuring conventions (DSC). At a minimum,
it must include a header comment, %!PS-Adobe-3.0 EPSF-3.0, and
a bounding box comment, %%BoundingBox: llx lly urx ury, that
describes the bounds of the illustration. (The specification
does not require the EPSF version, but many programs will
reject a file that does not have it.)
The EPS program must not use operators that initialize or
permanently change the state of the machine in a manner that
cannot be undone by the enclosing application's use of save and
restore (eg. the operators starting with "init" like
initgraphics). As a special case, the EPS program may use the
showpage operator. The importing application is responsible
for disabling the normal effects of showpage.
The EPS program should make no environment-sensitive decisions
(the importing application may be trying to attain some special
effect, and the EPS program shouldn't screw this up), although
it can use some device-dependent tricks to improve appearance
such as a snap-to-pixel algorithm.
The complete EPS specification is available from Adobe (see
below).
A variation of EPS embeds the PS text in a binary file which
contains a header and either a TIFF or MetaFile preview image.
The header defines where in the file each section (EPS, TIFF,
or MetaFile) starts and ends. On the Macintosh, the preview
is stored as a PICT in the file's resource fork.
To convert from PS to EPS, one must guarantee that the PS file
meets the above requirements. If the actual program conforms
to the programming requirements, then one can simply add the
required comments at the top of the file saying that the file
is EPS and giving its BoundingBox dimensions.
================================================================
How can I convert PS to [other graphics format]?
How can I display PS on my [brand x] computer?
Since PostScript is not just a picture-description language,
but in fact a complete programming language, one needs a
complete PostScript interpreter to convert or display a
PostScript graphic. Adobe PostScript interpreters are available
for some machines (notably those using the NextStep GUI).
Numerous PostScript interpreter clones, both commercial and
free, are available for other machines. Not all clone
interpreters know how to handle Adobe's encrypted Type 1 fonts,
and some have other incompatibilities. Clone interpreters will
not have Adobe's proprietary rendering technology which
interprets font hints to improve the appearance of fonts shown
at small sizes on low-resolution devices.
Ghostscript, a freeware product associated with the GNU
project, is available for PC's, Sun's, X servers, and other
architectures. Source is included. For more information about
Ghostscript, read the gnu.ghostscript.bug newsgroup, or contact
the author at ghost@aladdin.com (L. Peter Deutsch).
Sun OpenWindows users can preview PostScript on-screen using a
program called "pageview". Or they can print postscript on any
raster printer using the NeWSprint product which uses the same
PostScript interpreter found in OpenWindows.
AmigaDOS users can use PixelScript, a commercial product from
Pixelations, and Post, which is freely redistributable and is
available on Compuserve..
MSDOS users can use Go-Script, QMS UltraScript-PC, or Freedom
of the Press. File format conversion is available with
Hijack-PS.
================================================================
How can I convert [other graphics format] to PS?
How can I convert ASCII text to PS?
A list of text-to-PS software is available from Howard Gayle
(howard@hal.com, phone 1(408)379-7000 ext 1080), including his
cz package.
Under Unix, you can use Adobe's TranScript package.
To convert various bitmap formats to EPS, see the frequently
asked questions posting in comp.graphics.
================================================================
What documentation is available on the PostScript language?
Adobe has written numerous manuals, sometimes referred to
by PostScript gurus by the color of the cover. These books
are published by Addison-Wesley. They are listed here in
order of (my) suggested reading:
PostScript Language Tutorial & Cookbook, Adobe Systems
Incorporated Addison Wesley 1985, 1990 (The "Blue" Book)
PostScript Language Reference Manual, Second Edition, Adobe
Systems Incorporated, Addison Wesley 1985, 1990 (The New "Red" Book
(really Red and White))
PostScript Language Program Design, Adobe Systems Incorporated
Addison Wesley 1988 (The "Green" Book)
Adobe Type 1 Font Format ("The Black Book")
----------------------------------------------------------------
Other books include:
Thinking in PostScript, Glenn C. Reid, Addison-Wesley, 1989
Understanding PostScript, David A. Holzgang, Sybex, 1988
Display PostScript Programming, David A. Holzgang, Addison Wesley, 1990
Mastering Adobe Illustrator, David A. Holzgang, Addison Wesley, 1t Cookbook,
Barry Thomas Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1988
Inside PostScript, Frank Merritt Braswell, Systems of Merritt &
Peachpit Press 1989
The Verbum Book of PostScript Illustration, Michael Gosney, Janet
Ashford, Linnea Dayton
M&T Books, 1990
Mastering Adobe Illustrator 88, Deke McClelland, Craig Danuloff
Publishing Resources Inc.-Dow Jones Irwin 1989.
Adobe Illustrator 88, The Official Handbook for Designers, Tony Bove,
Cheryl Rhodes, Fred Davis , Bantam Computer Books 1987
Encapsulated PostScript, Peter Vollenweider, Prentice Hall 1990.
Running PostScript from MS-DOS, Gary Glover, Windcrest Books, 1989,
ISBN 0-8306-2998-X
================================================================
Should I leave my printer on?
How do I suppress the power-on start page?
How do I remove a persistent ("permanent") downloaded font?
How do I reset the printer without power-cycling?
The general consensus seems to be that most computer equipment
lasts longer if left on. This presents less thermal stress to
the components. Disabling the start page is described in your
printer's PostScript supplement. The most common sequence is
"serverdict begin 0 exitserver statusdict begin false
dostartpage end".
One trick for removing a persistent font (this requires that
you knew you would need to remove it before you downloaded it)
is to issue a "serverdict begin 0 exitserver /magic-cookie save
def" before downloading and sending "serverdict begin 0
exitserver magic-cookie restore" when you want to reclaim all
VM used since the first download. The downside of this is that
is uses up a save level, but this is usually not a problem.
Most printers can be reset by issuing "serverdict begin 0
exitserver systemdict /quit get exec".
================================================================
How do I get bitmap representations of Adobe fonts?
Use the Font Foundary program included with the font. If you
don't have it, contact Adobe for an upgrade.
================================================================
What FTP resources are available?
There are bitmaps of many Adobe fonts in the info-mac archives
on sumex-aim.stanford.edu. They are available in TeX form,
with the encoding expected by dvips, on ftp.cs.umb.edu
[192.12.26.23], in pub/tex/ps-screenfonts.tar.Z.
================================================================
How do I get in touch with Adobe?
Where can I get official documentation?
Adobe Systems Incorporated
1585 Charleston Road
P.O. Box 7900
Mountain View, CA 94039-7900
Phones:
Main: (415)961-4400
Tech Support: (415)961-0911
Developers Line & Tech Docs (voice mail):
(415)961-4111
Sales: (800)344-8335
A selection of technical documents is available from Adobe's
file server, including the aforementioned EPS specification.
For more information on this, send the one-word message "help"
to ps-file-server@adobe.com. These documents are also
available by mail; call the Developers Line and ask for the
documents catalog.
================================================================
How do I get the physical size of a page?
The initial clipping path gives you the size of the imagable
area. Use "clippath pathbbox" to get these coordinates. If you
*must* know the size of the device's imageable area, use the
sequence "gsave initclip clippath pathbbox grestore", but this
will prevent an enclosing application from using the clippath
to achieve some special effects (such as multiple pages per
page).
================================================================
Who has helped fixed errors in earlier drafts?
I am indebted to the following people for adding functionality
to this document:
wet!icv (Ilsa VanHook)
skdutta@cs.tamu.edu (Saumen K Dutta)
howard@hal.com (Howard Gayle)
tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM (Tom Neff)
orthlieb@adobe (Carl Orthlieb)
naughton@Eng.Sun.COM (Patrick Naughton)
flar@Eng.Sun.COM (Jim Graham)
cwitty@cs.Stanford.EDU (Carl Witty)
squash@math.ufl.edu (Jonathan)
rsmith@well.sf.ca.us (Ross Smith)
u12570@uicvm.uic.edu (Edward A. Garay)
karl@ai.mit.edu (Karl Berry)
kwb@betasvm2.vnet.ibm.com (Ken Borgendale)
us267388@web.mmc.mmmg.com (Bradley D. Rhoades)
Ver Date Reason
----------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 12-18-90 Creation
1.01 1- 8-91
1.02 1-25-91
1.03 2-26-91
1.04 3-28-91
1.05 4-30-91
1.06 5-29-91 expanded on EPS explanation, new email address for
Howard Gayle, added version numbering
================================================================
Ken (shiva@well.sf.ca.us)
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.........................James Powell.........................
___....____________......Systems Support and Development......
\ \../ ___ ___/.........University Libraries, VPI & SU....
.\ \/ /../ /.............Blacksburg, VA - (703) 231-4987...
..\ /../ /..............FAX (703) 231-3694................
...\ /../ /.................................................
....\/../__/..........INTERNET.....JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU....
..........................(OR).....JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU....
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 11:45:24 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Mark Peterson
Subject: unsubscribe please
In-Reply-To: <9203171516.AA29049@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>; from "Charles Bailey,
University of Houston" at Mar 17, 92 8:59 am
UNSUBSCRIBE Mark C.E. Peterson
Thanks.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 13:16:44 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: James Powell
Subject: welcome survey
Since VPIEJ-L was created for all of us to share information regarding our
work in electronic publishing, it may be helpful for all of us to know how
diverse our audience is. The list has exploded to 264 subscribers in just
5 days. Hopefully we have editors, publishers, librarians involved in
receiving, cataloging, and collection development, and individual subscribers
to electronic journals. But I don't know this to be the case. So please
take a few minutes to answer these few questions below and I will summarize
to the list.
1. What is your occupation (e.g. librarian, publisher, editor, programmer)?
2. How do you find out about new e-journals? (PACS-L, NEW-LIST, etc.)?
3. What format(s) of e-journals can you receive/archive?
ASCII Only, SGML, PostScript, WordPerfect, TeX, TROFF, other
4. Where and how do you access e-journals?
FTP, telnet, in library, campus information system, diskette, CD-ROM, ListServ
5. What would YOU like to know more about?
Respond to the list or to me (JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU) and I'll summarize.
Thanks!
___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
\..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
\..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
\..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
\../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
\/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 13:47:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "Zane Berge, Ph.D."
Subject: Re: unsubscribe please
Send the following message to LISTSERV@GUVM
SIGNOFF IPCT-L
If that doesn't work, send me the copy of the rejection letter you
receive to:
Zane Berge
BERGE@GUVAX
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 11:18:25 PDT
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: kodyj@MICROSOFT.COM
Subject: RE: welcome survey
|
| 1. What is your occupation (e.g. librarian, publisher, editor,
programmer)?
|
Librarian turned database Information Mangager for image databases.
| 2. How do you find out about new e-journals? (PACS-L, NEW-LIST, etc.)?
PACS-L
|
| 3. What format(s) of e-journals can you receive/archive?
| ASCII Only, SGML, PostScript, WordPerfect, TeX, TROFF, other
Who knows? it's there on my windows e-mail.
|
| 4. Where and how do you access e-journals?
At office computer
| FTP, telnet, in library, campus information system, diskette, CD-ROM,
ListServ
|
| 5. What would YOU like to know more about?
|
| Respond to the list or to me (JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU) and I'll
summarize.
| Thanks!
|
| ___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
| \..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
| \..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
| \..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
| \../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
| \/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
| Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 16:09:07 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Comments: Resent-From: James Powell
Comments: Originally-From: "Peter Graham, Rutgers U.,
(908) 932-2741"
From: James Powell
Subject: response to survey
Very good advice. Please send all responses to JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
rather than the list. Thank you.
___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
\..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
\..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
\..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
\../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
\/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
1) Please telle veryone NOT to respond to the list, or many of us will
quit out of desparation; we don't want 265 responses in our box.
--Peter Graham, Rutgers University
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 21:49:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: BURNET@ZODIAC.BITNET
Subject: Re: welcome survey
1. What is your occupation (e.g. librarian, publisher, editor, programmer)?
I am an assistant professor of library & information studies, which means
that I teach in an MLS program. My teaching responsibilities included
cataloging and multimedia. My research is in information design.
2. How do you find out about new e-journals? (PACS-L, NEW-LIST, etc.)?
PACS-L, friends, forwarded e-mail.
3. What format(s) of e-journals can you receive/archive?
Haven't found any I can't handle yet!
4. Where and how do you access e-journals?
FTP, telnet, in library, campus information system, diskette, CD-ROM, ListServ
All of the above except in the library, sad to say.
5. What would YOU like to know more about?
What's out there, what new formats are developing, who's working on multimedi
delivery and presentation.
Kathleen Burnett
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1992 18:44:42 PST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Karen Howell
Subject: Re: welcome survey
In-Reply-To: Message of Tue,
17 Mar 1992 13:16:44 EST from
On Tue, 17 Mar 1992 13:16:44 EST James Powell said:
>Since VPIEJ-L was created for all of us to share information regarding our
>work in electronic publishing, it may be helpful for all of us to know how
>diverse our audience is.
>...
>take a few minutes to answer these few questions below and I will summarize
>to the list.
>
>1. What is your occupation (e.g. librarian, publisher, editor, programmer)?
>
Systems Development Librarian at University of Southern California
(formerly systems analyst at Library of Congress)
>2. How do you find out about new e-journals? (PACS-L, NEW-LIST, etc.)?
>
PACS-L, CWIS-L, CNIDIR-L
>3. What format(s) of e-journals can you receive/archive?
>ASCII Only, SGML, PostScript, WordPerfect, TeX, TROFF, other
>
ASCII, PostScript, WordPerfect
Haven't tried SGML, TeX, TROFF so don't know. Presumably could
be done.
>4. Where and how do you access e-journals?
>FTP, telnet, in library, campus information system, diskette, CD-ROM, ListServ
>
FTP, ListServ. The campus-wide information service at USC is
run by the Library. One system, USCInfo, contains the library's
OPAC, 13 periodical databases, campus info files, and the full-text
of The Chronicle of Higher Education. One experimental option
is mounting listserv archives as databases on USCInfo. We can
do keyword and Boolean searches on the archives and read
curent issues of PACS-L, CWIS-L, and CNIDIR-L.
>5. What would YOU like to know more about?
>
I joined for two reasons.
1) To see how other libraries handle selection and access to
electronic journals.
2) To engage in dialogue with publishers and librarians about
creation and distribution of full-text journals.
I'm project manager of the Online Chronicle of Higher Education
pilot project at the University of Southern California. We're
working with the publishers of a traditional print newspaper,
The Chronicle of Higher Education, to help them create an
electronic newspaper, and see what the issues in production,
use, marketing, and distribution are. I'd love to talk with
other e-journal producers about some of their design decisions.
>Respond to the list or to me (JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU) and I'll summarize.
>Thanks!
>
>___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
>\..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
> \..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
> \..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
> \../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
> \/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
>Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
Thanks for opening up the list. I'm curious to see the results
of your survey.
Karen Howell khowell@uscvm
Systems Development Librarian khowell@vm.usc.edu
Center for Scholarly Technology (213) 740-2933
University Library
University of Southern California
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 09:57:48 GMT
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Michel Eytan LILoL
Subject: Re: welcome survey
1. What is your occupation (e.g. librarian, publisher, editor,
programmer)?
Prof. of Computer Science, Universite des Sciences Humaines de Strasbourg.
2. How do you find out about new e-journals? (PACS-L, NEW-LIST, etc.)?
PACS_L till now; also the 'interest-groups list'
3. What format(s) of e-journals can you receive/archive?
ASCII Only, SGML, PostScript, WordPerfect, TeX, TROFF, other
ASCII, PostScript, TeX, troff; we can also get the Mac and PC formats (some
are on the local net).
4. Where and how do you access e-journals?
FTP, telnet, in library, campus information system, diskette, CD-ROM,
ListServ
ftp, telnet and ListServers.
5. What would YOU like to know more about?
Dunno as yet, I have been away for a few days + the system was down, so I have
about 400 (sic) messages backlog.
Thank you for your editing, I fully appreciate the work that it implies
==michel
Preferred mail-alias: eytan@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
# Michel Eytan # Voice:+33 88 41 74 29 #
# (on Sparc1 under OpenWindows v.2) # #
# Labo. Informatique, Logiques, Langages # Secr:+33 88 41 74 26 #
# Dept. Info., Univ. Strasbourg II # #
# 22 rue Descartes, 67084 Strasbourg, France # Fax:+33 88 41 74 40 #
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 09:41:57 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Paul Weiss
Subject: Re: welcome survey
1. systems librarian in technical services
2. NEW-LIST
3. I know we can get things in ASCII; I don't know about the other formats.
4. listservs
5. cataloging issues, acquisition issues, sociological effects
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 10:47:53 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: STEPHEN@RPIECS.BITNET
Subject: Be careful not to send your "survey" to VPIEJ-L
As co-director of an organization that publishes an electronic journal,
I thought it would be valuable to subscribe to VPIEJ-L. However, I'm
concerned at the prospect of reading large numbers of survey responses
from people who send them to VPIEJ-L rather than to the individual who
was interested in the survey results. Often this means that one should
not use a "reply" command to respond to the survey. Please explicitly
address the mail containing your results to the appropriate individual.
Thanks for your consideration.
Tim Stephen
Associate Professor &
Co-director Comserve
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 11:38:17 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: James Powell
Subject: welcome survey
The responses so far are proving to be very interesting. Thanks to everyone
who took the time to answer the questions. Several people have asked me to
ask people to not send their replies to the survey to the list, but to the
list owner (me). So please send replies to JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU.
The questions one last time are:
1. What is your occupation (e.g. librarian, publisher, editor, programmer)?
2. How do you find out about new e-journals (PACS-L, NEW-LIST, etc.)?
3. What format(s) of e-journals can you receive/archive?
4. Where and how do you access e-journals?
5. What would YOU like to know more about?
Thanks! (Reply to JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU)
___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
\..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
\..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
\..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
\../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
\/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 12:20:04 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "A.J. Wright"
Subject: Re: Be careful not to send your "survey" to VPIEJ-L
In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 18 Mar 1992 10:47:53 EST from
Well, I'm kind of enjoying these responses sent to the list...takes all kinds,
doesn't it?---A.J. Wright/MEDS002@UABDPO
"Language is a virus from outer space."--William S. Burroughs
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 12:37:38 GMT
Reply-To: UMCCFGW.PROCTM@SSGATE.MISSOURI.EDU
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Comments: MEMO 1992/03/18 12:35
From: Michael Procter
Subject: Re: Be careful not to send your "survey" to VPIEJ-L
Well, I'm kind of enjoying these responses sent to the list...takes all kinds,
doesn't it?---A.J. Wright/MEDS002@UABDPO
"Language is a virus from outer space."--William S. Burroughs
>> Really, the survey responses are a good deal more interesting
than the various injunctions not to respond to the list....
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 13:47:14 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Andy Houghton
Subject: Re: welcome survey
In-Reply-To: Message of Tue, 17 Mar 1992 13:16:44 EST from
Occupation: Computer consultant at the University of Guelph.
Electronic media : telnet, ftp
Students Can Access : ASCII text, Postscript, WP5.1 and TeX
Students Also have Access to library CD-ROMS
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 14:12:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: wolit@MHUXD.ATT.COM
Subject: CD-ROM lifetime (forwarded message)
Someone passed the following to me regarding CD-ROM life which was published in
the newsletter of OCLC Pacific Network (PACNET):
"A number of libraries have taken to heart various manufacturers' claims that
CD-ROM discs will last twenty years. However, recent statements by the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) have placed a damper on
these extravagant estimates. NARA states that the expected lifespan of CD-ROMs
is three to five years. A later report will provide more detailed information,
but the main problem, according to Ken Thibodeau of NARA, is that the aluminum
substrate on which the data is recorded is vulnerable to oxidation (breakdown
in the presence of oxygen). This was confirmed in statements to NARA by
representatives of 3M Corporation, the largest CD-ROM fabricator.
The plastic that protects the substrate is oxygen permeable, so it provides no
protections against the oxidation process. In fact, oxidation begins during
the manufacturing process itself because there is no attempt to evacuate the
air between the substrate and the plastic coating. It is claimed that
preventing air from being introduced during manufacturing is cost prohibitive.
The only coating presently available that could possibly protect against the
oxidation process is glass. However, glass has other problems associated with
it, including breakage. Additionally, the problem of evacuating air during
manufacturing would probably remain a factor in the construction of
glass-coated discs.
Libraries that have considered eliminating paper subscriptions and substituting
CD-ROM storage clearly need to re-evaluate their policies in the light of this
information."
Cynthia A. Hodgson
Aluminum Company of America
hodgson@alcoa.com
(412) 337-2434
<< End of forwarded message >>
-----
Jan I. Wolitzky
AT&T Bell Laboratories
600 Mountain Avenue, Room 3D-590
Murray Hill, NJ 07974-2070 USA
1 908 582-2998
Fax: 1 908 582-5417
wolit@mhuxd.att.com
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 12:09:15 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Gess Shankar
Subject: Publishing an Electronic Journal
I am planning to publish an electronic journal in various formats: Plain
Ascii, PostScript, RTF as well as an OS/2 specific viewable format. This
will be in newsletter form, published and distributed periodically.
Questions I have for the list are:
(1) PostScript: What about selection of fonts? Is there a set of fonts
that are guaranteed to be available in all PostScript output devices?
e.g. I have two printers (one has 17 and the other has 35). Is there a
standard set that is specified by Adobe that can be assumed to be
available?
(2) PostScript: Is there a way of locking up the PostScript file so that
modifications to the text cannot be done? This is to prevent unauthorised
and malicious mangling of the publication. Or is this even an issue for
electronically distributed journals? i.e. How can the publisher make
sure that the authored pieces do not get altered deliberately? I am
wary of the Ascii format because of this.
(3) Does registration of ISSN applicable to Electronic Journals? Especially
if the Journal/Newsletter is distributed in media like diskettes,
flopticals and CDRom.
I will welcome insights.
GeSS
--
Gess Shankar |<><>|Internet: gess@knex.Gwinnett.COM |<><>|
Knowledge Exchange|<><>|{rutgers,ogicse,gatech}!emory!gwinnett!knex!gess|<><>|
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 14:31:31 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Walter Giesbrecht
Subject: Re: CD-ROM lifetime (forwarded message)
In-Reply-To: Message of Wed,
18 Mar 1992 14:12:00 EST from
This is not really the right forum to be discussing CD-ROM lifetimes, but
I wanted to respond to the posting.
1. The fact that CD-ROM has, according to the previous posting, a finite
lifetime on the order of 3-5 years, should not in and of itself prevent it
from being used as an archival medium. Magnetic tape is used for archival
purposes, and it has to be refreshed every eighteen months or so. Digital
data can be reproduced *exactly* with a minimum of effort, so the data
will not necessarily disappear just because the medium it is recorded on
does.
2. Many CD audio discs have been around for 10 years, and there has been no
no loud hue and cry from collectors that their audio discs are self-
destructing. Admittedly, CD-ROM discs are more sensitive (because of the
nature of the data recorded on them and the error-correcting processes
used), but if 3-5 years was their lifetime, *something* should have
happened by now. There are CD-ROM discs that have been around at least 5
years, and are still functional.
I have seen estimates for the lifetime of CD-X discs that are all over the
map. It's beginning to look as though we won't find out for sure until they
all start fading out of existence.
End of inappropriate message. For more info, post inquiries to
CDROM-L@UCCVMA (or bit.listserv.cdrom-l on Usenet). Discussions re: CD-ROM
lifetimes recur there at irregular intervals.
Walter Giesbrecht BITNET: walterg@yorkvm2
York University INTERNET: walterg@vm2.yorku.ca
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 15:54:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: wolit@MHUXD.ATT.COM
Subject: Re: CD-ROM lifetime
> The fact that CD-ROM has, according to the previous posting, a finite
> lifetime on the order of 3-5 years, should not in and of itself prevent it
> from being used as an archival medium. Magnetic tape is used for archival
> purposes, and it has to be refreshed every eighteen months or so. Digital
> data can be reproduced *exactly* with a minimum of effort, so the data
> will not necessarily disappear just because the medium it is recorded on
> does.
There is an ambiguity here in the term "archival." You can use magnetic
tape to store archival material, as long as you plan to refresh it
periodically as described, but you can't just throw a mag tape in a box
and "archive" it for 20 years and expect to find anything readable left.
The promise of CD's was that they themselves were more-or-less archival.
If not, they are much less useful than, say, magtape for archiving data
because of their inherently read-only nature. Most libraries don't have
their own CD-ROM mastering facilities, nor would it be economical to
"refresh" them (i.e., cut a new CD-ROM) as is done for magtape.
The data certainly WILL disappear when the medium on which they are recorded
does. That's why you have to refresh magtapes. And that's why the
apparently short lifetime of CD's is so disturbing.
I'm not so sure that we would have already seen this effect if the lifetime
were indeed so short. For one thing, the market for CD-ROMs has been
expanding so quickly that the number that were around 5 years ago is
tiny compared to the number in use today. For another, error-correction
will mask problems until the number of errors accumulate beyond the
ability of the correction code to accomodate them. And, as was mentioned,
audio CD's are much less sensitive to this, since an odd pop or click
here and there is much less noticeable than a bad block in a database
index.
-----
Jan I. Wolitzky
AT&T Bell Laboratories
600 Mountain Avenue, Room 3D-590
Murray Hill, NJ 07974-2070 USA
1 908 582-2998
Fax: 1 908 582-5417
wolit@mhuxd.att.com
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 13:29:08 CDT
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: TZILLNER@WILS.WISC.EDU
Subject: Re: CD-ROM lifetime (forwarded message)
I'd like to mention in passing that the article you quoted is
essentially a word-for-word reprint of an article that I wrote and
published in our publication _New Tech News_ in June, 1991. I assume
that I was properly credited in the original article, but I like to
get all of the credit due me :-}. Anyone with further questions can
send me an e-mail. In addition, we (WILS) are sponsoring a
conference that will address preservation of CD-ROMs.
> Someone passed the following to me regarding CD-ROM life which was published i
n
> the newsletter of OCLC Pacific Network (PACNET):
>
> "A number of libraries have taken to heart various manufacturers' claims that
> CD-ROM discs will last twenty years. However, recent statements by the
> National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) have placed a damper on
> these extravagant estimates. NARA states that the expected lifespan of CD-ROM
s
> is three to five years. A later report will provide more detailed information
,
> but the main problem, according to Ken Thibodeau of NARA, is that the aluminum
> substrate on which the data is recorded is vulnerable to oxidation (breakdown
> in the presence of oxygen). This was confirmed in statements to NARA by
> representatives of 3M Corporation, the largest CD-ROM fabricator.
>
> The plastic that protects the substrate is oxygen permeable, so it provides no
> protections against the oxidation process. In fact, oxidation begins during
> the manufacturing process itself because there is no attempt to evacuate the
> air between the substrate and the plastic coating. It is claimed that
> preventing air from being introduced during manufacturing is cost prohibitive.
> The only coating presently available that could possibly protect against the
> oxidation process is glass. However, glass has other problems associated with
> it, including breakage. Additionally, the problem of evacuating air during
> manufacturing would probably remain a factor in the construction of
> glass-coated discs.
>
> Libraries that have considered eliminating paper subscriptions and substitutin
g
> CD-ROM storage clearly need to re-evaluate their policies in the light of this
> information."
>
> Cynthia A. Hodgson
> Aluminum Company of America
> hodgson@alcoa.com
> (412) 337-2434
>
>
> << End of forwarded message >>
>
> -----
> Jan I. Wolitzky
> AT&T Bell Laboratories
> 600 Mountain Avenue, Room 3D-590
> Murray Hill, NJ 07974-2070 USA
> 1 908 582-2998
> Fax: 1 908 582-5417
> wolit@mhuxd.att.com
>
Tom Zillner Telephone: 608/262-0047 (Voice)
New Technologies Coordinator 608/263-3684 (FAX)
Wisconsin Interlibrary Services ---------------------------------
464 Memorial Library Internet: tzillner@macc.wisc.edu
728 State Street Bitnet: tzillner@wiscmacc
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 16:38:22 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Walter Giesbrecht
Subject: re: CD-ROM deterioration
>> The fact that CD-ROM has, according to the previous posting, a finite
>> lifetime on the order of 3-5 years, should not in and of itself prevent it
>> from being used as an archival medium. Magnetic tape is used for archival
>> purposes, and it has to be refreshed every eighteen months or so. Digital
>> data can be reproduced *exactly* with a minimum of effort, so the data
>> will not necessarily disappear just because the medium it is recorded on
>> does.
>The data certainly WILL disappear when the medium on which they are recorded
>does. That's why you have to refresh magtapes. And that's why the
>apparently short lifetime of CD's is so disturbing.
When I stated that the data will not necessarily disappear just because the
medium rots away, I should have stated that I was thinking of the kinds of
CD-ROM products that most libraries carry and would consider cancelling,
i.e., CD-ROM equivalents of major online databases. For one thing, many of
these exist on a single disc and are updated periodically; when updates
are sent out, the entire database is reissued, so you get a fresh copy of
all the data. In addition, the only ones that our library has cancelled are
*MAJOR* databases (e.g., Science Citation Index, Biological Abstracts);
these will be available in some form for a very long time, so access to the
data would not be compromised if the disc(s) were no longer usable. The
vendor could simply re-issue them.
I believe that CD-ROM was intially proposed simply as a distribution
medium for large amounts of data. It is perhaps unfortunate that its
archival properties began to be widely utilized before the lifetime
of the medium had been fully determined.
-----
Walter Giesbrecht
Steacie Science Library
York University
WALTERG@VM2.YORKU.CA
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1992 10:01:45 -0500
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: ralli@CCADFA.CC.ADFA.OZ.AU
Subject: Re: Publishing an Electronic Journal
I would have thought that the only way to prevent text being altered was
to present it as a bit-mapped image rather than as a text file. This has
however a whole host of other problems such as file size, availability of
equipment to read it etc. You can prevent anyone altering the source
file by making it read only, but once it has left your hands there is
nothing that you can do. Postscript files would be more difficult to
edit, but not impossible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Ralli
Deputy Librarian
Australian Defence Force Academy
Northcott Drive
CANBERRA ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA
AARNet/Internet: ralli@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au
Tel: ++6 268 8114
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 19:32:10 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: MICHAEL STRANGELOVE <441495@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA>
Subject: Directory of E-Serials
In-Reply-To: Message of Thu,
19 Mar 1992 10:01:45 -0500 from
For those editors/publishers who are thinking of producing a network
distributed electronic serial, please keep in mind the Directory
of Electronic Journals and Newsletters that I edit. If you do not
know about this directory and you publish a networked e-serial, you
probably should read the following notice. A second, revised edition
of the directory will soon be available in April both in print and on the
Net.
Michael Strangelove
University of Ottawa
<441495@Uottawa> or <441495@Acadvm1.uottawa.ca>
====================================================================
To the Editor:
I am presently updating a comprehensive directory of electronic
journals and newsletters. This directory is available in e-text
for public dissemination throughout the networks (see below) and is
available in hard copy from the Association of Research
Libraries' Office of Scientific and Academic Publishing. Thus I am
seeking the following information from journal and newsletter editors:
(USE AS MUCH SPACE AS NECESSARY)
Title,
ISSN, if any,
Description:
To Subscribe:
Submissions:
Related List:
Back Issues:
Contact:
Please send this information IN THE ABOVE FORMAT.
Also, PLEASE SEND ME THE LATEST COPY OF YOUR JOURNAL or NEWSLETTER
(but DO NOT subscribe me) this is extremely important.
Michael Strangelove
<441495@UOTTAWA>
<441495@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA>
Religious Studies
University of Ottawa
The _Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters_ is now available
from a public access fileserver and consists of two files. These may be
obtained by sending the email message:
Get EJournL1 Directry
Get EJournL2 Directry
- Please note the spelling carefully.
To:
Listserv@UOTTAWA or LISTSERV@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA
with the commands as the only lines in the body of mail message.
The Directory documents over 26 e-journals and 63 e-newsletters. Special
thanks to Ann Okerson at the Association of Research Libraries
for her support and guidance in this project.
A second, revised edition will be available in April 1992.
For further information Contact:
Association of Research Libraries
1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Ann Okerson
ARLHQ@UMDC.Bitnet
(202) 232-2466 (voice)
(202) 462-7849 (fax)
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 10:54:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "D. PAGE COTTON"
Subject: Re: welcome survey
Are the responses to the survey to be posted to the list or sent to
a particular person?
Page Cotton
pcotton@vax.clarku.edu
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 20:22:40 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: mgeller@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Publishing an Electronic Journal
In-Reply-To: Your message of Wed,
18 Mar 92 12:09:15 -0500. <9203181936.AA10980@Athena.MIT.EDU>
ISSN's absolutely apply to all serials in any formats! Definitely get
one!
Marilyn Geller
MIT Libraries
mgeller@athena.mit.edu
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 23:34:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "JUDITH HOPKINS AT SUNY BUFFALO"
Subject: Re: Publishing an Electronic Journal
In reply to Gene Shanker's third question I don't think there is any problem
with an electronic journal getting an ISSN; the Newsletter on Serials
Pricing Issues as does ALCTS Network News (known as AN2).
===================================================================
Judith Hopkins Voice: (716) 636-2796
Tech Srvs Research & Analysis Officer FAX: (716) 636-5955
Central Technical Services BITNET: ulcjh@ubvms
State University of NY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14260 Internet: ulcjh@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
===================================================================
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1992 08:59:15 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "Charles Bailey, University of Houston"
Subject: Re: Publishing an Electronic Journal
In-Reply-To: Message of Wed,
18 Mar 1992 12:09:15 EST from
This may be helpful. It originally appeared in NetMonth 4
(September 1990): 5-6. --Charles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting an International Standard Serial Number for an Electronic
Journal
By Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is a unique
eight-digit number that identifies a particular serial. For
serials published in the U.S., ISSN numbers are assigned by the
National Serials Data Program (NSDP) of the Library of Congress.
Recently, NSDP assigned an ISSN to the Public-Access Computer
Systems Review, an electronic journal that complements the
Public-Access Computer Systems Forum (PACS-L@UHUPVM1). The PACS
Forum is a moderated BITNET list that deals with all computer
systems that libraries make available to their users, and it
currently has over 1,000 subscribers in 23 countries. The PACS
Review, which is published three times a year, deals with the
same subject matter as the PACS Forum. When an issue is
published, PACS Forum users are notified by a table of contents
message, which describes that issue's article files and provides
instructions for retrieving the files.
NSDP also created a bibliographic record for the PACS Review in
the OCLC Online Union Catalog, a twenty-million-record database
that is widely used by libraries for cataloging, interlibrary
loan, reference, and other purposes. (A more powerful, user-
friendly version of the OCLC Online Union Catalog called EPIC has
just been made available for fee-based searching.) A
bibliographic record describes a serial (or other work) in a
standard machine-readable format according to established
cataloging rules.
It is noteworthy and commendable that NSDP took the initiative to
assign the PACS Review an ISSN number and to catalog it; I never
contacted them requesting that they do so. NSDP staff learned of
the PACS Review as the result of two speeches I made about the
publication at a recent national library conference.
The assignment of an ISSN number and the creation of a
bibliographic record on OCLC makes an electronic journal more
accessible to libraries and their users. Electronic publishers
are fortunate that NSDP has taken a progressive, proactive stand
on electronic journals, and it is treating them seriously. I
would urge other electronic publishers to contact NSDP and obtain
ISSN numbers for their electronic journals. The appropriate
application form is contained in a brochure called "ISSN is for
Serials," which is available from NSDP.
For further information about getting an ISSN number contact:
Library of Congress
National Serials Data Program
Washington, D.C. 20540
(202) 707-6452
--------------------------------------------------------------
Charles W. Bailey, Jr. is the Moderator of the Public-Access
Computer Systems Forum, Editor-In-Chief of The Public-Access
Computer Systems Review, and Assistant Director for Systems at
the University Libraries of the University of Houston. His
BITNET address is LIB3@UHUPVM1.
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1992 10:18:56 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: MICHAEL STRANGELOVE <441495@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA>
Subject: ISSN in Canada
In-Reply-To: Message of Thu, 19 Mar 1992 08:59:15 CST from
- Does anyone know if NetMonth is still publishing? I have been unable to
contact the editor - Chris C.
The following may be of interest to Canadian electronic publishers. An
ISSN may be acquired for electronic serials by contacting:
ISDS Canada
National Library of Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa K1A 0N4
Phone: (819) 994-6895
Fax: (819) 953-0291
(the area code is in fact correct)
They will need to know:
Title
Year (first)
Frequency
Language
Publisher
Contact
(My thanks to David Reimer for this information).
I called this office and in fifteen minutes was assigned an ISSN number for
the electronic networked journal, Religious Studies Publications Journal -
CONTENTS.
Their efficiency and speed was almost a religious experience.
Michael Strangelove
Department of Religious Studies
University of Ottawa
BITNET: 441495@Uottawa
Internet: 441495@Acadvm1.Uottawa.CA
S-Mail: 177 Waller, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5 CANADA
Voice: (613) 237-2052
FAX: (613) 564-6641
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1992 09:01:00 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: STODDAM@VUCTRVAX.BITNET
Subject: Re: CD-ROM deterioration
CD-ROM disks deteriorate -- CD-ROM drives also deteriorate. A
number of libraries have unusuable items in their
collections, such as funny fiche, 3/4" videotape, large-reel
music recordings, and, increasingly, LP records, simply because
there is no one to fix machines for which parts don't exist
anyhow. Archivists are aware of this problem -- NARA will only
accept flat databases on magtape, for instance. In terms of
computers, has anyone tried to find a working PDP-10 lately?
Format of course is another problem. While many people have
access now to PS, SGML, and other electronic formats, it is
pushing fate to assume they'll be readily available in forty
years. Even ASCII itself is being superceded by new codes
(which are mostly backwards compatible, but how long will that
last?) There are programs to translate EBDIC (spelling?) to
ASCII, but who can tell which files are worth the work?
I happen to think that these years, when new technologies are
being translated in reality, are very important. Historians five
hundred years from now will look back on this era the way we
regard Columbus. My advice to archival sites and electronic
publishers is Keep It Simple and Safe. So far, fire-baked clay
tablets seem to be the most durable of archival media, although
subject to breakage, unfortunately.....;->
MJ Stoddard / stoddam@vuctrvax
Vanderbilt University
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 13:17:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "JUDITH HOPKINS AT SUNY BUFFALO"
Subject: Chronicle of Higher Education online
In a message earlier this week one of the subscribers to this list said she
was involved in the creation/use of the online version of the Chronicle of
Higher Education. Unfortunately I deleted that message but now find a need
to check some back issues of that journal and thought that this would be
the perfect opportunity to try an online search. Would the person from
USC get in touch with me to give me guidance in how to go about it?
===================================================================
Judith Hopkins Voice: (716) 636-2796
Tech Srvs Research & Analysis Officer FAX: (716) 636-5955
Central Technical Services BITNET: ulcjh@ubvms
State University of NY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14260 Internet: ulcjh@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
===================================================================
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 13:17:06 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: James Powell
Subject: SGML tools
What kinds of SGML tools are available to speed up the markup process? From
what I have seen of SGML, the tagged output really looks like something a
computer could generate automatically. Is there a WordProcessor-type
application available for any computer platform that can generate SGML tags
for you? We've thought about working with SGML but it just seems too labor
intensive at this point.
___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
\..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
\..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
\..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
\../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
\/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 21:52:58 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Robin Cover
Subject: SGML for Electronic Journals
The VPIEJ-L charter says "Topics for discussion include SGML,
PostScript, and other e-journal formats" and the recent survey
asked, "3. What format(s) of e-journals can you receive/archive?
ASCII Only, SGML, PostScript, WordPerfect, TeX, TROFF, other. . ."
James Powell now asks:
> Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 13:17:06 EST
> From: James Powell
> Subject: SGML tools
> What kinds of SGML tools are available to speed up the markup process?
> From what I have seen of SGML, the tagged output really looks like
> something a computer could generate automatically. Is there a
> WordProcessor-type application available for any computer platform that
> can generate SGML tags for you? We've thought about working with SGML
> but it just seems too labor intensive at this point.
The short answer is that several auto-tagging and SGML conversion
programs *ARE* indeed available, and on multiple computer platforms.
For example, Software Exoterica's "XGML OmniMark" product is available
for several computer architectures, including MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2,
Apple Macintosh and most Unix systems. Avalanche Development
Corporation's "FastTAG" product is available for MS-DOS, Sun
Microsystems (Sun-3, Sun-4, Sun OS 4.0), Apollo, DEC (VAX, VMS 5.1, VAX
Ultrix 4.0, RISC Ultrix 4.0). And so on, for similar lower priced
software products (you get about what you pay for). OmniMark and
FastTAG both support document tagging for HyperText browsing; further
information is supplied below.
The straight-forward solution to generating SGML markup is to use
SGML-compliant authoring tools to start with. SGML editors from several
companies are supported, on virtually all popular computing platforms.
Using an authoring tool which includes an SGML parser is the most
reliable method, since extracting knowledge about a document's structure
and its internal information content models from a formatted text file
is both tricky and expensive. But for various reasons, some electronic
publishers prefer to "auto-tag" or otherwise "convert" word-processor
output into SGML as an interchange format: (1) the current SGML editors
are not as full featured or friendly as some other commercial WYSIWYG
word-processors, or (2) users are reluctant to change their writing
habits in the ways that an object-oriented authoring system requires.
Conversion *FROM* an SGML format *TO* other data formats is easy because
SGML is more "intelligent," being aimed at defining document structure
and content, not mere appearance. It is no coincidence that XGML
OmniMark carries the accompanying (tm) title "Adding Intelligence to
Documents," and that FastTAG is called "the intelligent markup solution"
by Avalanche: SGML text is value-added because it encodes knowledge
structures.
It should be stressed, then, that SGML is not just another file format
like "ASCII Only, PostScript, WordPerfect, TeX, TROFF," -- as might be
implied in the survey. PostScript does not preserve editable text, and
it does not structure text as information: it simply tells a display
device (screen, printer) how to print text on a flat surface.
WordPerfect is a proprietary encrypted file format, editable only if you
have a certain kind of proprietary editing software. TeX and troff are
'printing' languages similar to PostScript in that they contain
procedural instructions for placing ink on paper. SGML, on the other
hand, defines markup languages for structuring text as information. It
purposely does NOT specify how a document or other collection of
electronic data are to be displayed. SGML-defined markup languages
provide explicit markup tags, using mnemonic names, to describe the
"ordered hierarchy of content objects" within a file, together with
indications of primary textual attributes. SGML files are typically in
human readable "ASCII" (could be EBCDIC or otherwise), but they are
distinguished from ASCII in that plain ASCII text, without explicit
markup, "knows" nothing about the information content of the document.
SGML documents are not proprietary in that they can be edited with
almost any text editor, and they are perspicuous in ways that plain
("clear text") ASCII texts cannot be.
Electronic publishing firms are thus increasingly attracted to SGML as a
means of structuring documents precisely because they believe: (a) that
*INFORMATION* in text is a most valuable asset, and (b) that making the
information accessible in several different display formats, and/or in
several applications is a worthy goal. SGML users take for granted that
data re-use and data interchange are important, and they take the long
view. If the sole and final destiny of an article is to be printed on
paper OR on a computer screen, then procedural or "presentational"
formats like PostScript, troff, TeX, WordPerfect (whatever) are just
fine. You print the document, throw away the electronic file, and the
"information" lives on that two-dimensional display medium just as long
as it does. But such a "displayed text" it is not searchable in terms
of intelligent algorithms that understand document hierarchy, named
document components, and other attributes of multi-dimensional text. If
we believe that the article contains *INFORMATION* that may be useful in
a variety of present and future (unforeseen) applications -- full text
databases, electronic libraries -- then SGML offers significant
advantages.
James' comment that SGML "just seems too labor intensive at this point"
should be qualified by the realization that post-authoring (auto
tagging) SGML software is available -- such that most users in an SGML
project don't have to know anything about SGML. On the other hand,
facing up to the "information" and "text interchange" issues implicit in
SGML represents a paradigm shift for some portion of any publishing or
information architecture group. The extra labor of supporting SGML can
be seen as worth the price when one realizes the cost throwing away
information in text in favor of a transient print goal, and the
short-sightedness of fixating on procedural formats for textual data
which might otherwise have a significantly wider audience and longer
electronic future.
Description of XGML OmniMark and FastTAG follow:
I. Software Exoterica - XGML OmniMark
(adapted from Exoterica's literature)
XGML OmniMark is a powerful easy-to-learn scripting language combined
with a premium validating SGML parser. OmniMark can be used to convert
SGML documents to the input languages of other products, to convert the
output languages of other products to SGML-defined languages including
AAP and CALS (commonly referred to as AUTOTAGGING), and to convert
between arbitrary languages and data formats.
OmniMark can provide the scripting language for products which do not
have one or whose script language is weak such as Microsoft Word and
WordPerfect, or it can be used to enhance the strong scripting languages
of products such as Interleaf or HyperCard.
OmniMark serves the needs of people who cannot program and expert
professional programmers alike. OmniMark is scalable; the script
writer's use of OmniMark can grow smoothly and uniformly as their
proficiency does.
OmniMark provides a full-featured script writing and document
translation environment. Some of OmniMark's most notable features are:
* A saleable, easy-to-learn, rule-based language which supports
novices and expert professional programmers alike.
* English-like language style is easy to read and "self-documenting."
* Supports translations based on simple and complex pattern matching
and context-sensitive SGML parsing.
* A built-in premium validating SGML parser with graceful recovery from
markup errors: no external SGML parser is needed.
* Straight-forward ways of locating the context of elements in an SGML
document.
* Advanced function text and binary pattern matching in a simple
easy-to-read language. Supports recursive pattern matching on
strings and files.
* Standard math operators (plus, minus, times, divide, modulo).
* Binary math operators (mask, union, difference, complement, shift).
* String arithmetic operators (radix, base, binary).
* Optional declaration of global and local variables.
* Optional "strong typing" of variables.
* Structured programming control structures (if-then-else, do,
do-while, case).
* Rule grouping: switch banks of rules on and off dynamically to
modularize scripts.
* Powerful string manipulation features.
* Powerful string and file buffering features.
* Fast access to very large arrays.
* Automatic context saving for nested structures.
* Powerful stream I/O mechanism which supports binary and text files.
* Resolve cross-references into multiple buffers and files; create
several different indexes simultaneously.
* Flexible string formatting features.
* Powerful macro feature which supports multiple arguments and can make
scripts more compact and readable.
* Separate compiler and run-time systems.
The general processing model of OmniMark is translation. One or more
input files are read into the system and are converted to one or more
new output files based upon the instructions found in the script. The
output files then become input to some other system.
OmniMark's advanced function SGML parser can parse any SGML-defined
markup language. OmniMark's rule-based script language provides the
necessary supporting constructs to perform very complex language
translations. The SGML parser takes care of the details of the
marked-up document, so an OmniMark script writer only has to deal with
the details of the target language.
Queries about XGML OmniMark and the full line of Exoterica's XGML
products may be directed to: Software Exoterica Corporation; 383
Parkdale Avenue, Suite 406; Ottawa, Ontario; CANADA K1Y 4R4; TEL:
1-613-722-1700; TEL: 1-800-565-9465 (1-800-565-XGML); FAX: 1-613-
722-5706.
II. Avalanche Development Company (FastTAG, IMSYS) Intelligent
Autotagging
Avalanche Development's tool FastTAG assists in retro-fitting electronic
data files held in proprietary format with SGML tagging, or converting
paper documents to SGML-tagged files. FastTAG incorporates autotagging
software using visual recognition techniques to generate structured
output text. Using a VRE(tm) Visual Recognition Engine, FastTAG reads
visual clues either (1) from an output file in the case of electronic
files or, (2) in conjunction with OCR, to convert paper-based documents
into SGML electronic file formats. FastTAG reckons with graphics
objects, tables and similar text structures.
FastTAG does not face the same limitations as "search-and-replace"
format-code conversion programs: its markup process is based upon
recognition of logical text structures rather than upon translation of
existing format codes. Instructions may be written by the user in
FastTAG's powerful, flexible rules language, making FastTAG completely
user-definable. Input instructions tell FastTAG how to classify the
text objects recognized by the VRE, which can include paragraphs,
headings, list items, table cells, running headers and footers, in-line
strings such as cross-references and in-line aperiodic text (underlined,
superscripted, boldface, italics, etc.). FastTAG output instructions
specify the markup that will automatically be applied to each class of
text object. Because FastTAG is user-definable, you can build support
for proprietary markup schemes, site-specific implementations of popular
publishing products like Ventura Publisher and Interleaf, and SGML
applications.
Input for FastTAG may be ASCII, Calera PDA files, DCA/RTF files,
WordPerfect (4.2, 5.0, 5.1) or Microsoft Word files (other wordprocessor
formats supported), OCR/ICR scanner files, DCA/RTF, DECWrite, Kurzweil
KDOC files, Interleaf ASCII, and so forth; output from FastTAG is
user-definable, but may be specified as SGML, RTF, FrameMaker (Maker
Interchange Format, MIF), Ventura Publisher, Xerox XICS, Penta, SoftQuad
Publisher, Interleaf, XyVision, Datalogics, troff, nroff, tbl and so
forth.
FastTAG and IMSYS are supported on MS-DOS, as well as on a variety of
UNIX, VMS and Ultrix systems. The autotagging technology is licensed by
a number of OEM developers (Xerox Information Systems (Kurzweil), Bell
Atlantic (DocuSource), Shaffstall, IBM and DEC).
Contact: Eileen Quirk, Director of Marketing and Sales; Avalanche
Development Company; 947 Walnut Street; Boulder, CO 80302 USA; (303)
TEL: 449-5032; FAX: (303) 449-3246. Email (Internet):
support@avalanche.com, sales@avalanche.com, apps@avalanche.com.
------------
PS. I do not work for Exoterica, Avalanche or any other "SGML" company.
I can supply a basic bibliography/information file on SGML to anyone who
requests it via standard electronic mail. The information given above
is accurate (only) to the best of my knowledge.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robin Cover BITNET: zrcc1001@smuvm1 ("one-zero-zero-one")
6634 Sarah Drive Internet: zrcc1001@vm.cis.smu.edu
Dallas, TX 75236 USA Internet: robin@utafll.uta.edu ("uta-ef-el-el")
Tel: (1 214) 296-1783 Internet: robin@ling.uta.edu
FAX: (1 214) 709-3387 Internet: robin@txsil.lonestar.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1992 09:01:55 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: James Powell
Subject: welcome survey
I will be posting the results of the survey on Wednesday, so if you plan to
respond, please respond soon. Thanks.
___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
\..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
\..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
\..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
\../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
\/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1992 09:20:00 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Bill Drew -- Serials Librarian
Subject: Re: SGML for Electronic Journals
Would you kindly explain what SGML is?
-Bill Drew-
******************************************************************
Wilfred Drew (call me "BILL")
Serials/Reference/Computers Librarian
SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology
P.O. Box 902, Morrisville, NY 13408-0902
Bitnet: drewwe@snymorva SUNYNET(DECnet): smorv::drewwe
InterNet: drewwe@SNYMORVA.CS.SNYMOR.EDU
Voice: 315-684-6055 Fax: 315-684-6115
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1992 10:37:27 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Comments: Resent-From: James Powell
Comments: Originally-From: "Zoltan Egyed (607)-255-4882"
From: James Powell
Subject: Re: Rejected posting to VPIEJ-L@VTVM1
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1992 15:19 EST
From: "Zoltan Egyed (607)-255-4882"
Subject: Re: Publishing an Electronic Journal
To: VPIEJ-L
Message-id: <01GHSLW0BH8W9N454A@LNS62.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
X-Envelope-to: VPIEJ-L@VTVM1.BITNET
X-VMS-To: IN%"VPIEJ-L@VTVM1.BITNET"
X-VMS-Cc: EGYED
An answer to the question:
>(2) PostScript: Is there a way of locking up the PostScript file so that
> modifications to the text cannot be done? This is to prevent unauthorised
> and malicious mangling of the publication. Or is this even an issue for
> electronically distributed journals? i.e. How can the publisher make
> sure that the authored pieces do not get altered deliberately? I am
> wary of the Ascii format because of this.
An easy way of solving this problem is using public key cryptography.
Everyone has access to the public key of the publisher, and only the
publisher has the secret key. Whatever is encrypted with one of the
keys, it can be decrypted ONLY with the other key. It means that
1. If you decrypt the massage with the public key, and it is meaningful,
which means the checksums match, you can be sure it comes from
the publisher, without outside modification.
2. Everyone can send submissions to the publisher encrypted with the
public key. Only the publisher will be able to read it, because
only he has the secret key.
The way of making the public key public: it can be at the end of the
signature files, it a phonebook, whatever. Whatever force tries to mess
with this kind of communication has to intercept and change all ways of
communicating the public key, which is hardly possible.
Zoltan Egyed
Wilson Synchrotron Lab
Egyed@lns61.tn.cornell.edu
___ ____________ |---------------------------------------|
\..\ /..___...___/ | James Powell |
\..\/../ /../ | Systems Support and Development |
\..../ /../ | University Libraries, VPI & SU |
\../ /../ | Blacksburg, VA (703) 231-3336 |
\/ /__/ | FAX (703) 231-3694 |
Internet JPOWELL@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or JPOWELL@VTTCF.CC.VT.EDU |
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1992 10:24:28 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Robin Cover
Subject: What is SGML (anyway)?
Bill Drew wrote:
> From VPIEJ-L@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU Mon Mar 23 10:22:09 1992
> Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1992 09:20:00 EST
> From: Bill Drew -- Serials Librarian
> Subject: Re: SGML for Electronic Journals
> Would you kindly explain what SGML is?
> -Bill Drew-
My sincere apologies to Bill and others who may not know what the acronym
"SGML" stands for, or what the 'Standard Generalized Markup Language' is
all about. I assumed from James Powell's postings that there had been
previous discussion about SGML on the forum.
SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) is authoritatively documented
as ISO 8879:1986, which reportedly has sold 10 times more copies than any
other ISO standard. SGML defines markup languages which use explicit
descriptive markup tags to define ("mark up") the logical structure of
a document or other information -- as opposed to other markup conventions
which instruct a printer or other device how to display the electronic
information on paper or screen. Markup languages defined by SGML are
supposed to use mnemonic markup so that the logical structure of the
information is clear to anyone examining the document, on any system.
If there is broad interest, I can post a longer explanation of SGML on
this forum. Otherwise, I will just send a bibliography to anyone who
wants to read about SGML and where it's making an impact as an
information management tool in academia, industry and government.
Robin Cover
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robin Cover BITNET: zrcc1001@smuvm1 ("one-zero-zero-one")
6634 Sarah Drive Internet: robin@utafll.uta.edu ("uta-ef-el-el")
Dallas, TX 75236 USA Internet: zrcc1001@vm.cis.smu.edu
Tel: (1 214) 296-1783 Internet: robin@ling.uta.edu
FAX: (1 214) 841-3642 Internet: robin@txsil.sil.org
=============================================================================
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1992 08:28:00 PST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Michael Sullivan 213-825-6515
Subject: (COPY) What is SGML (anyway)?
I wouldn't mind seeing the longer explanation of SGML. I know that most
people who signed onto this listserv probably know all about it, but
since you offer.... I'd appreciate the bibliography too.
Michael Sullivan
UCLA Physical Sciences & Technol Libs
-------------------------TEXT-OF-FORWARDED-MAIL--------------------------------
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Received: (from MAILER@VTVM1 for MAILER@UCLAMVS via NJE)
(UCLA/Mail V1.500 M-RSCS0402-0402-61); Mon, 23 Mar 92 08:52:20 PST
Received: by VTVM1 (Mailer R2.08 R208002) id 6932;
Mon, 23 Mar 92 11:50:16 EST
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1992 10:24:28 CST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Robin Cover
Subject: What is SGML (anyway)?
To: Betsy Coles ,
"Michael V. Sullivan"
Bill Drew wrote:
> From VPIEJ-L@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU Mon Mar 23 10:22:09 1992
> Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1992 09:20:00 EST
> From: Bill Drew -- Serials Librarian
> Subject: Re: SGML for Electronic Journals
> Would you kindly explain what SGML is?
> -Bill Drew-
My sincere apologies to Bill and others who may not know what the acronym
"SGML" stands for, or what the 'Standard Generalized Markup Language' is
all about. I assumed from James Powell's postings that there had been
previous discussion about SGML on the forum.
SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) is authoritatively documented
as ISO 8879:1986, which reportedly has sold 10 times more copies than any
other ISO standard. SGML defines markup languages which use explicit
descriptive markup tags to define ("mark up") the logical structure of
a document or other information -- as opposed to other markup conventions
which instruct a printer or other device how to display the electronic
information on paper or screen. Markup languages defined by SGML are
supposed to use mnemonic markup so that the logical structure of the
information is clear to anyone examining the document, on any system.
If there is broad interest, I can post a longer explanation of SGML on
this forum. Otherwise, I will just send a bibliography to anyone who
wants to read about SGML and where it's making an impact as an
information management tool in academia, industry and government.
Robin Cover
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robin Cover BITNET: zrcc1001@smuvm1 ("one-zero-zero-one")
6634 Sarah Drive Internet: robin@utafll.uta.edu ("uta-ef-el-el")
Dallas, TX 75236 USA Internet: zrcc1001@vm.cis.smu.edu
Tel: (1 214) 296-1783 Internet: robin@ling.uta.edu
FAX: (1 214) 841-3642 Internet: robin@txsil.sil.org
=============================================================================
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1992 23:35:31 -0500
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: "C. David Perry"
set vpiej-l nomail
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1992 23:40:51 -0500
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: John Huie
You said:
>set vpiej-l nomail
what is this supposed to mean.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
John Huie (Vax User Assistant) | INTERNET: jhuie@mary.fordham.edu
Computer and Information Management Systems | BITNET : jhuie@fordmulc
Fordham University | WORK : (212) 636-6095
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1992 07:12:00 EDT
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: KINGH@SNYSYRV1.BITNET
Subject: RE: (COPY) What is SGML (anyway)?
I'd like to see some discussion of SGML on the listserv. We all would
have an opportunity to not only learn definitions but applications. For
example, when I see references to SGML, I always wonder who's using it, what
word processing programs are equipped to deal with it if any, whether it
is intended for use in electronic full-text exchange, etc. Perhaps even
the bibliography could be posted to the listserv, so we could download it
if desired and Robin wouldn't have to respond to dozens of requests over the
next several weeks.
Hannah King
SUNY HSC Library at Syracuse
kingh@snysyrv1
kingh@vax.cs.hscsyr.edu
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1992 08:09:38 -0500
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Gerard Van der Leun
Subject: Re:
>You said:
>
>>set vpiej-l nomail
>
>what is this supposed to mean.
>
>
>-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
>John Huie (Vax User Assistant) | INTERNET: jhuie@mary.fordham.edu
>Computer and Information Management Systems | BITNET : jhuie@fordmulc
>Fordham University | WORK : (212) 636-6095
>-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
I have no idea. I didn't send it. Its a martian packet as far as I can see.
Gerard Van der Leun
Communications Director EFF
van@eff.org
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1992 08:15:09 EST
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: Neal Shambaugh
Subject: Re:
In-Reply-To: Message of Thu, 26 Mar 1992 08:09:38 -0500 from
The SET NOMAIL
is how you tell the Listserv to not send mail to your ID,
because you're out of town, etc.
This is usually sent to Listserv, however, not VPIEJ-L. That way
the entire list membership doesn't see it.
tell listserv at vtvm1 set vpiej-l nomail
is the format, I believe.
To turn the main back on: tell listserv at vtvm1 set vpiej-l mail
R. Neal Shambaugh, Writer/Producer
Visual Communications, Virginia Tech
201 Media Bldg, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0133
703-231-8593 jake@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1992 08:26:25 -0500
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: J_CERNY@UNHH.UNH.EDU
Subject: re-post (1) of some SGML info from once-upon-a-time on TEI-L list
I haven't been reading every single message on VPIEJ-L, so I don't have
full context for the recent request for SGML info (such as whether the
Robin referred to was Robin Cover who authored one of the things I am going
to forward). Annnnnyway, this is the first of two items I will post that
once-upon-a-time appeared on the TEI-L list (Text Encoding Initiative) and
which may be helpful with some SGML basics.
-- Jim Cerny, Computing and Information Services, Univ. N.H.
j_cerny@unhh.unh.edu
-------------8< --------------8< --------------8< ----------------------
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 90 14:38:38 CDT
Sender: Text Encoding Initative public discussion list
Comments: "ACH / ACL / ALLC Text Encoding Initiative"
From: Michael Sperberg-McQueen 312 996-2477 -2981
Subject: Basics of the TEI, part 2: Introducing SGML
This is the second in our series of tutorial notes on the TEI
guidelines. Lou Burnard wrote it; I am posting it for him because
he is out of town for the week.
Next topics: core structural tags, other core tags, and character
set issues.
If you find you have questions after reading this, please post them
to the list; you'll never have a more appropriate forum for them.
Michael Sperberg-McQueen
-------
TEI Tutorial No. 2: Introducing SGML
One of the TEI's basic goals, as originally formulated in 1987, was
the definition of an encoding scheme expressive enough to allow texts in
all widely-used encoding schemes to be translated into it without loss
of information. This poses two technical challenges for any encoding
scheme: it must be extensible, to allow hitherto-unheard-of analyses of
texts to be expressed in tags, and it must be able to represent any
structural relationship among text segments which can be tagged in any
scheme.
Already at the first planning meeting, several people suggested Stan-
dard Generalized Markup Language (ISO 8879, SGML) as the most promising
basis for such an encoding scheme. Others were concerned that SGML was
not powerful enough to meet the needs of the TEI, or not sufficiently
well understood, or too verbose or of too dubious parentage or inade-
quately supported. Only time will tell how far these concerns were jus-
tified: at present, no alternative candidate has been proposed which
comes even close to the acceptability or applicability of SGML.
Chapter two of the Guidelines contains a "gentle introduction to
SGML" intended for readers who have not encountered it before. Many
such introductions spend most of their time on the origins and histori-
cal development of SGML or on polemics against alternative models of
text processing. Our own experience reading these introductions is that
they don't always succeed in describing very clearly what SGML actually
is; we try to provide such a description and leave the polemics aside
for a while.
TEXT AND ITS STRUCTURE
So what, in fact, is SGML? Well, just as Fortran, C or Pascal are
languages in which algorithms may be expressed, so SGML is a language in
which text structures may be expressed. It allows you to name particu-
lar types of textual object (such as plays, novels, reports ... ) and
their constituent elements (speeches, chapters, paragraphs ...). It
allows you to state rules about how occurrences of those types may
legally appear in real texts (for example, that poems may contain stan-
zas, but paragraphs cannot). These and other types of rule make up what
is called in the jargon a document type definition (DTD); this allows a
suitable piece of software to check that texts match their intended def-
inition, and also to take advantage, in interpreting the text, of the
knowledge about the text encapsulated by the definition.
Text is not, for the TEI, a mass of unruly strings to be reorganized
into nice patterns on paper. It is a tissue of nested objects of vari-
ous kinds, the order and structure of which are crucial to its under-
standing: an "ordered hierarchy of content objects" as De Rose and com-
pany call it in their recent and highly recommended article "What is
text really" Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 1.2 (1990):
3-26. This concern with text as a complex structure is one reason for
preferring SGML to other, perhaps better known, markup systems, in which
structural complexity is recognized only insofar as it affects the
printing of a text, or insofar as it affects the precision and recall
with which it may be recovered from a text retrieval system.
How is this done? For the full story, you will have to read else-
where. For a superficial overview, read on. If (like me) you have read
enough superficial overviews to last you a lifetime, accept my apolo-
gies, and tell us what you do want to read on this list!
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
In SGML terms, a text (or "document") is composed of content and
markup, which are distinguished by special flag characters. The text is
made up of elements which contain other elements or just text. The
markup identifies the boundaries of the different elements in which the
content is held. Consider a mail message like the one you are reading
at the moment: it could be considered as a single object, called a
"message". Like everything else, it has a begining and an end: SGML
requires us to mark these explicitly. We might also say that messages
always have two parts: a header (all the chattering between networks at
the top), and a body (the rest). Again, SGML requires us to mark
explicitly the boundaries of these two constituents. We might further
subdivide both the header (it contains a "from", a "date", a "subject"
etc.) and the body (it consists of paragraphs, may have a title or a
signature etc.).
The SGML standard suggests, for reference purposes, one particular
way of marking these boundaries: you introduce a start tag (which looks
like ) at the beginning of each "this" object, and an end tag
(which looks like ) at the end. This method (which rejoices in
the name of "the reference concrete syntax") is not however obligatory:
you can use square brackets and numbers, binary escape sequences, big
red stars in the margin or musical notes if your keyboard will allow
you. You can even use conventional punctuation or layout information,
provided that this can be unambiguously mapped onto the element struc-
ture.
So, tagged (more fully than might commonly be done) in SGML, the
start of this message might look something like this:
Lou
Rest of World
20 Aug 1990
SGML - the basics
TEI Tutorial no 2: SGML
One of the TEI's basic goals, as
originally formulated in 1987, was the definition
of an encoding scheme expressive enough to allow texts in all
widely-used encoding schemes to be translated into it without
loss of information. This poses two
technical challenges for any encoding scheme: it must be
extensible, to allow hitherto-unheard-of analyses of texts ...
Notice that we use exactly the same sort of markup for subdivisions
of the header (which would probably be regarded as obvious candidates
for information retrieval fields) as we do for the body of the text.
Notice also that some types of object (year and abbrev for example) can
appear in more than one type of enclosing object.
Explicitly labelled and delimited objects, described by a hierarchi-
cally organized grammar, is almost all there is to know about SGML. Two
further wrinkles remain to be discussed: entities and attributes.
ENTITIES
For many years, a central problem in the encoding and interchange of
scholary texts has been to agree standards for the representation of the
graphemes used in all the languages and scripts of importance to the TEI
community, as Michael defined it in our previous posting. Because of
the unaccountable lack of interest shown by standards bodies and comput-
ing industry alike for mediaeval manuscripts or Old High Glagolitic, ad
hoc transliteration schemes have proliferated. For many people, defin-
ing just such standards is one of the major jobs for the TEI. In a lat-
er posting, we will discuss what TEI has actually proposed in this con-
nexion: here I just want to point to the remarkably simple solutions
offered by SGML itself.
Firstly, SGML requires that a DTD specify the character set in which
texts using it are encoded: this will normally be an internationally
agreed one such as ISO 646 (not quite, but almost, the same as ASCII)
but if you insist on rolling your own, SGML at least offers you a means
of telling the world what you have done.
Secondly, SGML includes a general purpose mechanism for string sub-
stitution. Arbitrary text segments known as "entities", ranging in size
from individual characters to whole chunks of text, may be named in a
DTD, and then invoked by reference at any point when it is impossible or
inconvenient to enter them directly into a document. An entity refer-
ence in a text is conventionally preceded by an ampersand and followed
by a semicolon, thus taking the form
&name;
An SGML processor is provided by the DTD with both the names of all
such entities used in a document and with translations for them
appropriate to the particular machine environment in which the processor
is running. Standard sets of names have been proposed by ISO for such
things as accented letters, mathematical and typographic symbols etc.
which TEI will follow wherever possible.
ATTRIBUTES
It is occasionally useful to be able to record some information asso-
ciated with a textual element, but not regarded as being a textual ele-
ment in its own right. Examples include identifying numbers, canonical
references, status markers etc. Attributes are the mechanism provided
by SGML for this purpose. The DTD defines attribute names, their possi-
ble values (within some limits) and the elements to which they can be
attached. In an SGML tagged texts, attribute values must be supplied
within the opening tag for an element. For example, assume the element
MESSAGE has an attribute ID, used to supply a unique identifying number
for each MESSAGE element. The start of message number 42 would then be
indicated:
The use of attributes is slightly controversial, in that they are
formally redundant: anything that can be done with them, can also be
done without them. However, they are very widely used in most existing
SGML systems. Moreover, without them, markup of concurrent structures
becomes unbearably complicated. But that is another story.
Lou Burnard
Editor, TEI
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1992 08:27:23 -0500
Reply-To: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
Sender: "Publishing E-Journals : Publishing, Archiving,
and Access"
From: J_CERNY@UNHH.UNH.EDU
Subject: re-post (2) of some SGML info from once-upon-a-time on TEI-L list
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 90 19:06:31 CST
Sender: Text Encoding Initiative public discussion list
From: "Robin C. Cover"
Subject: SGML BIBLIOGRAPHY
At the suggestion of Lou Burnard (a TEI-L list-owner and TEI editor)
I am posting the following short bibliography on SGML. Archive copy will
be available later on the BITNET (uicvm) listserver as SHORTBIB MEMO. I
submit this bibliography in the hope that SGML discussions germane to
the work of TEI will be enriched if all contributors are informed about
the basics of SGML as a metalanguage. A number of popular
misconceptions about fundamental concepts in SGML (sometimes billed as
"a tagset" or "a formatting language" or "a markup language" -- none are
correct) frequently obscure public discussions. Please pass along this
bibliography to interested parties, and encourage reading of at least
one of the titles in section 1 ("Introductions to SGML"). Many worthy
substitutes could be found among the hundreds of articles and books on
SGML, but I have found these representative titles helpful. Note also
sub "6. Email-forums" that a dedicated SGML discussion may be found on
UseNet/UUCP News (comp.text.sgml), where Yuri Rubinsky and other SGML
experts have submitted highly informative postings.
Robin Cover
STANDARD GENERALIZED MARKUP LANGUAGE (SGML)
BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. INTRODUCTIONS TO SGML
2. SGML MANUALS (COMMENTARY & INDICES)
3. SGML IMPLEMENTATIONS
4. STANDARDS PUBLICATIONS
5. SERIAL PUBLICATIONS DEDICATED TO SGML
6. E-MAIL FORUMS
7. FURTHER BIBLIOGRAPHY ON SGML
==========================================
1. INTRODUCTIONS TO SGML
==========================================
Barron, David. "Why Use SGML?" Electronic Publishing 2/1
(April 1989) 3-24. CODEN: EPODEU; ISSN 0894-3982. Abstract: The
Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML) is a recently-adopted
International Standard (ISO 8879). The paper presents some
background material on markup systems, gives a brief account of
SGML, and attempts to clarify the precise nature and purpose of
SGML, which are widely misunderstood. It then goes on to explore
the reasons why SGML should (or should not) be used in preference
to older-established systems. A summary of the article is also
printed in "Why Use SGML," SGML Users' Group Newsletter
13 (August 1989) 10.
[Burnard, Lou.] "Use of SGML Markup." Chapter 2 (pp. 9-38) in
Guidelines for the Encoding and Interchange of Machine-Readable Texts
(Text Encoding Initiative, Draft Version 1.0 - See below)
Coombs, James; Renear, Allen; DeRose, Steven . "Markup Systems and
the Future of Scholarly Text Processing." CACM 30/11
(1987) 933-947. ISSN: 0001-0782; cf. CACM 31/7 (July
1988) 810-11) Abstract: The authors argue that many word
processing systems distract authors from their tasks of research
and composition, toward concern with typographic and other tasks.
Emphasis on "WYSIWYG", while helpful for display, has ignored a
more fundamental concern: representing document structure. Four
main types of markup are analyzed: Punctuational (spaces,
punctuation,...), presentational (layout, font choice,...),
procedural (formatting commands), and descriptive (mnemonic labels
for document elements). Only some ancient manuscripts have
no markup. Any form of markup can be formatted for
display, but descriptive markup is privileged because it reflects
the underlying structure. ISO SGML is a descriptive markup
standard, but most benefits are available even before a standard
is widely accepted. A descriptively marked-up document is not
tied to formatting or printing capabilities. It is maintainable,
for the typographic realization of any type of element can be
changed in a single operation, with guaranteed consistency. It
can be understood even with no markup formatting
software: compare "" to ".sk 3 a; .in +10 -10; .ls 0;
.cp 2". It is relatively portable across views, applications and
systems. Descriptive markup also minimizes cognitive demands: the
author need only recall (or recognize in a menu) a mnemonic for
the desired element, rather than also deciding how it is currently
to appear, and recalling how to obtain that appearance. Most of
this extra work is thrown away before final copy; descriptive
markup allows authors to focus on authorship. (abstract supplied
by Steve DeRose)
DeRose, Steven J.; Durand, David G.; Mylonas, Elli; Renear, Allen
H. "What is Text, Really?" Journal of Computing in Higher
Education 1/2 (Winter 1990) 3-26. ISSN: 1042-1726. Abstract:
"The way in which text is represented on a computer affects the
kinds of uses to which it can be put by its creator and by
subsequent users. The electronic document model currently in use
is impoverished and restrictive. The authors agree that text is
best represented as an ordered hierarchy of content object[s]
(OHCO), because that is what text really is. This model conforms
with emerging standards such as SGML and contains within it
advantages for the writer, publisher, and researcher. The authors
then describe how the hierarchical model can allow future use and
reuse of the document as a database, hypertext or network."
Herwijnen, Eric van. Practical SGML. Dordrecht/Hingham, MA:
Wolters Kluwer Academic Publishers. 200 pages. ISBN: 0-7923-
0635-X. The book is designed as a "practical SGML survival-kit for
SGML users (especially authors) rather than developers," and
itself constitutes an experiment in SGML publishing." A painless
introduction to the essentials of SGML.
Wu, Gilbert. SGML Theory and Practice. British Library Research
Paper 68. British Library Research and Development Department,
1989. ISSN 0269-9257 [68]; ISBN 0-7123-3211-1. 93 pages.
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2. SGML Manuals (Commentary & Indices)
==========================================
Bryan, Martin. SGML: An Author's Guide to the Standard
Generalized Markup Language. Wokingham/Reading/New York:
Addison-Wesley, 1988. ISBN 0-201-17535-5 (pbk); LC CALL NO.:
QA76.73.S44 B79 1988. 380 pages. A highly detailed and
useful manual explaining and illustrating features of ISO 8879.
Goldfarb, Charles F. The SGML Handbook. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. Fall, 1990. ISBN: 0198537379. Announced as
a "monumental 560-page work" by IBM Senior Systems Analyst and
acknowledged "father of SGML." The book constitutes an annotated,
cross-referenced and indexed copy of the ISO 8879 Standard and
Amendment 1, with annotations, tutorials and reference material.
See "News. New Goldfarb Book About SGML," EPSIG News 3/1
(March 1990) 4 and further details in (GCA's) TECHInfo
(July 1990) 1.
Smith, Joan M.; Stutely, Robert S. SGML: The Users' Guide to
ISO 8879