DAVENPORT: source code in docbook

[Chris.Prael@eng.sun.com (Chris Prael)]

I've just joined the davenport alias, so,  I could be dredging up an old
topic.

After 2 1/2 years of using a large subset of the docbook DTD, I have
come to the conclusion that docbook does not contain any tag, inline or
structural, that is acceptable for transmitting source code to my
readers/users.

Now, before any sends me any lists of tags that will do this job, let me
point out that docbook contains many tags that can contain ILLUSTRATIONS
of source code.  This is dandy if one has no concerns about maintaining
and providing accurate and current code that can be used by one's readers.  
It is quite unacceptable if one is concerned about the quality and
accessability of the source code in one's documentation.

The source code deficiency appears to be the natural result of two
things that I have observed for a long time among writers.  The first is
the natural, but obsolete tendency to think in terms of print and books.
The second is the tendency to think of code as something foreign and
incomprehensible: few writers understand that when they write for
developers, their customers actually read source code.  The result is to
present source code as a picture, not as material to be read.

From what I have seen in the web site, it appears that this issue is a
new one, as I see no indications of any attempt to correct the
deficiency

Chris Prael