Chapter 18
SGML’s Emergence on the World Wide Web

It’s odd to talk about SGML’s emergence on the World Wide Web because HTML—the document type used for the Web—is itself an SGML application. SGML is such a well kept secret that people forget where HTML comes from. That is changing rapidly as interest in SGML increases.

In this chapter, you learn:

•  Why SGML is such a well kept secret

•  What SGML’s role on the Web is

•  What SGML resources are available on the World Wide Web today

•  What SGML resources will be available on the Web in the future

Why the Secret about SGML?

Although the Department of Defense uses SGML routinely, there is nothing secret about SGML. SGML, unfortunately, has a reputation as being arcane and obscure. That’s only because most people haven’t needed to know it. Reasons why SGML has a reputation for being inaccessible include:

•  Only scholars and experts have published books about it

•  There are extremely few books for newcomers to SGML

•  Teachers of SGML are usually highly-paid consultants whom only large companies can afford to hire

•  SGML has a confusing vocabulary; common-sounding words have specialized meanings

•  Before the advent of the World Wide Web, most SGML novices had no idea what to use SGML for

•  Before the advent of the World Wide Web, major corporations and institutions had used SGML for diverse applications, but most HTML users have not yet discovered related applications spawned by SGML

•  Most of the software for developing SGML documents has been expensive for users of home computers

Scholarly and Expert Clientele

It’s no secret that when people are left alone to do a unique task, they develop a shorthand language to make their work easier. Consequently, SGML professionals talk about DSSSLs and FOSIs just as sailors talk about port and starboard. Likewise, SGML people talk about elements and attributes in terms of their specific meanings in the context of SGML. When you try to find sources for learning SGML, you might have trouble finding adequate material that you can understand.

Because colleges and universities have been SGML clients, publishing about the subject has often been formal. Scholarly journals have treated SGML with much interest. SGML has a certain snob appeal, which makes it difficult for novices. Even though these articles are extremely helpful once you have had SGML 101, you still need the prerequisites.

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•  See “Books on SGML,” p. 565

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These challenges—the lack of beginner-level material and the scholarly tone of SGML articles—are disappearing. More materials are appearing, and many informal sources are becoming available. As you search the World Wide Web for new information about SGML, you will find new documents in plain English every day that help you understand the intricacies of SGML. To access these resources, you need to go no further than your Internet service provider and your favorite Web browser.

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Tip:  
Robin Cover’s SGML home page is still the best starting point for finding information on SGML. It has terrific links to introductions to SGML, as well as links to more specific, even arcane, aspects of SGML. The home page is at:

http://www.sil.org/sgml/sgml.html

Take a look at “The Gentle Introduction to SGML” for a light but effective example of how SGML can be taught to novices.

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SGML’s high-level clientele has created materials primarily for other scholars and publication specialists. Now that anyone with a personal computer and Microsoft Word can become a global publisher via the World Wide Web, however, publication specialists are popping up all over the planet. Global publishing is now a popular hobby. Web pages have been appearing as often as daisies in backyard gardens during springtime. You don’t have to be an expert to publish, any more than a gardener needs a Ph.D in botany to grow flowers.

It helps to have some expertise, though—especially if you’re designing a large SGML installation. If you’re building a small suite of HTML pages, you can learn as you go. Because you need to educate yourself in SGML—there are few courses in the subject—you need books—usable and accessible books.

The Dearth of Easy-to-Use Books on SGML

For many years, The SGML Handbook by Charles Goldfarb was the only source for authoritative self-study. It’s still an excellent reference book. But, using it is rather like using the Oxford English Dictionary to learn English as a second language. It works better as a handy reference than as something you should read from cover to cover.

Several books have emerged to help beginning SGML students. They are listed in more detail in Appendix B, “Finding Sources for SGML Know-How.” The ABCD…SGML, by Liora Alschuler, takes SGML out of the ivory towers and introduces it to beginners (see fig. 18.1). It’s not a guide to syntax, but it does introduce theory.

Fig. 18.1  The ABCD…SGML is one example of a new type of beginner’s guide to SGML.

People from nearly every background are trying to find out more about SGML. A new book market is emerging. Just walk into any bookstore and notice how many books there are about HTML. The chances are that SGML books will become just as popular.