SGML standards

["Baker, Graham" <GrahamBaker@auslig.gov.au>]

Standards Australia technical committee IT/1/18 is participating in an
ISO work item aimed at harmonising SGML with the work of the WWW
Consortium.  They are inviting participation by anyone interested.

The following is an extract from the Standards Australia periodical
"TAS":
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What is a Markup Languaqe?

Computers are now truly pervasive, bringing unimaginable benefits (not
to mention frustration) into all areas of our business life.  One area
to benefit from standardization is that of document or information
management, and that Standard is on SGML (Standard Generalized Markup
Language ISO8879).

Originally published in 1986, the Standard is finally being recognized
and introduced by publishing houses all over the world as the method of
indexing and publishing text to any medium, whether it be paper, CD-ROM
or computer screen.

One of its many advantages is that once text, graphics etc is tagged, it
then doesn't matter what word processing package generates or
manipulates that material.  A company can upgrade to a different word
processing environment without converting old material.  SGML tagged
information can also apply to database information.

The concept of tagging [is] the key to HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
which is the backbone to the World Wide Web.  The Web would not have
been so successful but for the hard work put in by the members of the
Standards Committee JTC1/SC18 so many years ago.  Australia has been
instrumental in the drafting of a Corrigendum to ISO8879 regarding the
incorporation of extended (non ASCII) character sets.

The committee will also participate in a new work item to ensure that
the progression of SGML is harmonized with the work of the World Wide
Web Consortium.  If you are interested in this work please contact the
Projects Manager, David Bruce-Steer [at Standards Australia in Sydney]
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Graham Baker
Executive Officer
Australia New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC)

PO Box 2
BELCONNEN   ACT   2616
Australia

Ph:  +61-6-201 4299
Mob: 041-9228226
Fax: +61-6-201 4366
e-mail:  anzlic@auslig.gov.au
home page:  http://www.auslig.gov.au/pipc/anzlic/anzlicma.htm
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