This is number one on my list of cool things I want to learn but don’t have time for. In fact – this post will be shorter than I would like because I need to get back to the day job. Jeroen van Rotterdam has posted links in the ECN to the newly released XProc engine from EMC. The new product is the first commercially available tool that is compliant with the Xproc spec and is available for download free for development purposes.
Looking at Xproc takes me back to my early days pouring over Omnimark scipts in a VI editor trying to follow which stream was doing what. What excites me is that we are also making available an IDE to make learning and implementing Xproc in applications easier. Back in the day SGML could always do what XML does but adoption was hindered by access to affordable tools. XML and its simplification of self describing data made those cheaper tools possible. More importantly XML fostered a demystification of the technology and broader adoption. Better graphical tools soon followed.
I can’t wait to try it out but it will be a while so don’t wait on me.
Lee Dallas
Marko Sillanpää