DOCBOOK: Is there a need for GUI XML/SGML DocBook tools?

["Jeff Duska" <jeff at duska dot com>]

Howdy everyone:

I've working on the learning the SGMLTools under Windows. I must say that
I'm not to excited about how they work. I guess I spoiled from my work with
Word, WordPerfect, Pagemaker, and Ventura. I like the content seperation
from the presentation, but I must say that I'm not a big fan of the tools. I
really don't like Emacs. I did look at WordPerfect's SGML functionality, but
when I imported the SGML from Norm's DocBook: The definitive guide. It died.
This has been my problem with Word. I haven't done much with Ventura, yet.

Anyhow, it seems to me that we need a cross-platform open source tool that
can do several things. As such this, I've thinking of taking AbiWord and
create a wxAbiWord+. This would use the wxWindows cross platform C++ lib, so
that it would work on Linux, Mac, Windows and soon BeOS. I would then kinda
take the easy of use of things like Dreamweaver, XMetal, Word, AbiWord,
PageMaker, etc. and merge them with the power of Emacs, LyX, and Jade. I'm
not sure how this would really work, but I've got some ideas.

At first, it would be a rough program, because my main focus is on Free
Builder and Korfe. I can see areas of this project can help Korfe and gjc
which are both near and dear to my heart. I figured the OSWG and DocBook
list would represent key "power-user" group.

I have few questions:

	1.) Does the group agree that this is needed?
	2.) If no, can you tell me what tools you recommend?

Thanks,

Jeff Duska

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." -- Walt Disney