doc book filtering tools?
I am specifically looking for the db2rtf conversion filter, but there seem
to be a whole collection of such converters that are no where to be found
in Debian. (at least not in the slink contents file)
I did a hotbot search, and came up with references, including the a copy
of the make file that I was trying to run, but no reference to the source
code for this filter.
This specific problem is just one in a number of subtle requirements that
seem to be "designed" into GPL'd documentation. Yes the original source is
there, but much of it may not function, without some other piece of
software that isn't normaly found in a standard system, and is not
provided with the original source of the book.
I'm currently trying to get a Rich Text Format output of the GNOME
manuals. The make file provides a target for doing so, which fails on my
machine because I don't have the db2rtf program. I have been running into
other situations where some, but not all, of the book is provided as html
files, and, although the other parts of the book do exist, and are
available via the net, any indication of their locations in very carefully
omitted from the rest of the material. While these actions _do_ satisfy
the letter of the GPL, they certainly don't satisfy the spirit of
cooperation embodied in the principles of that license. Personally, I find
the imposition of "research costs" into the path of document freedom to be
obstructionism of the came caracter as witholding source, or specification
information about hardware. Yes, it an be figured out, but making it
difficult to do, is proprietary thinking. The less of that we can
exercise, the better off we will all be.
Sorry for the rant...I just need the converter ;-)
Thanks,
Dwarf
--
_-_-_-_-_- Author of "The Debian Linux User's Guide" _-_-_-_-_-_-
aka Dale Scheetz Phone: 1 (850) 656-9769
Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road
e-mail: dwarf@polaris.net Tallahassee, FL 32308
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