We are preparing the first of an annual survey of DITA Tools, based on the tools listed on DITA News Tools A-Z. http://www.ditanews.com/tools/

We will post the survey to six DITA-related communities,

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DITA has introduced a rich vocabulary with hundreds of terms, some entirely new, others reusing familiar technical terms in a new way. 

In addition, there are dozens of special technical terms that surround DITA. DITA users and DITA consultants need a reference to make sure they use these terms properly.

The authoritative reference is use of a term in the DITA Language Specification or the DITA Architectural Specification. These are excellent sources for those learning DITA terminology.

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With over 100 people requesting their D.Q, some DITA consultants are writing to say that the DITA Quotient helps them to evaluate prospective clients. 

See What's Your D.Q.? at http://www.ditanews.com/dita_quotients/

While the overall D.Q. number is useful, they say it's even more important to look at detailed responses to the ten questions. Specific low numbers may indicate that a client is not likely to find the consultant's services and tools particularly valuable, something the consultant should learn early on.

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Data Conversion Labs recently interviewed me. Here is the link.

http://www.dclab.com/dita_legacy.asp

And here is the interview...

Why DITA? An Interview with Bob Doyle

 

The Man Who Helped Invent Video Games, Desktop Publishing, and New Tools to Help you Learn Topic-Based Authoring

 

Original Merlin handheld game.
Photo courtesy Creative Commons

 

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I wrote the cover story for the special DITA issue of STC Intercom, April 2008. All the authoring tool vendors sent me licensed copies for testing.

Here is the tease for the story:

DITA's promise of topic-based structured authoring is not merely better documentation. lt is the creation of mission-critical information for your organization, written with a deep understanding of your most important audiences, that can be repurposed to multiple delivery channels and localized for multilingual global markets.

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