*************************************************************** ****************** WELCOME TO SGML NEWSWIRE ******************* *************************************************************** * * * To subscribe, send mail to sgmlinfo@avalanche.com * * * * (Please pass along to interested colleagues) * * * *************************************************************** ADOBE/AVALANCHE ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE NEWS ======================================== Computerworld carried a story in its April 19th edition titled "Adobe to offer SGML translation tool" by Michael Vizard. The article says in part, "Avalanche will provide software to convert documents created using Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) into an SGML-compliant format." This is one of the few stories we've seen so far that got the Avalanche/Adobe relationship -- despite its prominence in the joint press release. For instance, both InfoWorld ("Graphics, SGML hot at Seybold show," 4/26, Jeanette Borzo) and PC Week ("Quark, Adobe show wares at Seybold," 4/19, Paula Rooney) discuss SGML at some length, but fail to mention where Adobe got the technology. The Wall Street Journal ("Adobe Plans to Ship New Transfer System, Acrobat, by Late June," 4/13, Staff) merely mumbled something about technology "licensing agreements with three closely held software companies." Though document interchange was touched upon briefly, SGML was not mentioned at all. Clearly, we need to get these folks onto SGML Newswire! ;-) Toward the end, the Computerworld piece says "PC application vendors are slow to support SGML...," an odd statement given announcements from Novell, WordPerfect, Adobe, and some pretty glowing public assessments from Microsoft and Lotus. A year ago, few people outside the development community had even heard of SGML. Does this constitute "slow" support? Even relational database didn't go commercial this fast. WYSIWYG v STRUCTURED TEXT ========================= The real story here is that image and text need no longer be mutually exclusive options. The significance of Adobe's SGML-enabled Acrobat product is that very soon it will be possible to have not only the page image as initially created, but also the full text and its structure in an accessible format. In the past, the choice was between boring (and hard to read) pages of ASCII, or beautiful (but virtually irretrievable) WYSIWYG page presentations. Putting these both together solves a fundamental information management problem in a very cool way. You *can* have your cake and eat it -- what else is cake for? Certainly not just to look at! THE INTERNET BUISNESS JOURNAL ============================= On a less grumpy note (this is not an automated listserver!), WIRED magazine published the following on page 23 of the May/June 93 issue: "Internet 'Zine: There a living to be made in this new medium, and the Internet Business Journal focuses on helping you find out how. The premiere issue, due in June, will include articles on creating Internet software, running database services, finding government information, and so on. For more info, call or send e-mail to Michael Strangelove, publisher, +1-613-747-0642, 441494@acadvm1.uottowa.ca" ************************************************************** * SGML NEWSWIRE LIST MANAGER * * * * Linda Turner * * Corporate Communications * * Avalanche * * 947 Walnut Street * * Boulder, CO 80302 * * sgmlinfo@avalanche.com * * linda@avalanche.com * * Vox: (303) 449-5032 * * Fax: (303) 449-3246 * **************************************************************