Getting information (general)

This section contains sources of information about DITA and DITA Open Toolkit.

Sections in this topic:

General Information and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about DITA and DITA Open Toolkit

Description Information source

dita.xml.org: Official DITA community gathering place and information resource for the DITA OASIS Standard

Includes a knowledge base, a wiki, news items about DITA, events, products and services, case studies, user groups, forums, blogs, and a resource directory. Hosted by OASIS.

http://dita.xml.org

Cover Pages: Articles, presentations, and facts about DITA

Hosted by OASIS.

http://xml.coverpages.org/dita.html

IBM site containing a collection of information about DITA

http://www-128.ibm.com/developer-works/xml/library/x-dita1/

Tools, downloads

Description Information source

Download site for the Toolkit and related/prerequisite software

https://sourceforge.net/projects/dita-ot

alphaWorks IBM TaskModeler: An Eclipse-based tool for rapidly creating and analyzing models of human activity for DITA and user experience design

http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/taskmodeler

IBM download site: Collection of DITA downloads

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita6/x-dita_downloads.html

Training, education

Description Information source

Introduction to DITA: A User Guide to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture

Book (level: beginner). Authors: Jennifer Linton and Kylene Bruski. Publisher: Comtech Services, Colorado, 2006. Task-oriented approach to learning DITA. Authored using DITA markup and methodology in a variety of XML editors. Published using the Blast Radius and Mekon FrameMaker plugin in the DITA 1.2 Open Toolkit.

http://www.comtech-serv.com

Introduction to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture

Article (level: beginner). Authors: Eric Hennum, Don Day, John Hunt, and Dave Schell. Publisher: IBM, updated September 2005. Roadmap for the Darwin Information Typing Architecture: what it is and how it applies to technical documentation. Also a product of the architecture, having been written entirely in XML and produced using the principles described.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita1/

Design patterns for information architecture with DITA map domains

Article (level: intermediate). Authors: Eric Hennum, Don Day, John Hunt, and Dave Schell. Publisher: IBM, updated September 2005. Explains the design technique for creating a DITA map domain.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita7/

An XML-based information architecture for learning content

Part 1: A DITA specialization design. Article (level: intermediate). Authors: Robert Bernard and John P. Hunt. Publisher: IBM, August 2005. How topic-based DITA XML can provide the basis for developing an information architecture for single-sourced XML learning content.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita9b/

An XML-based information architecture for learning content

Part 2: A DITA content pilot. Article (level: intermediate). Authors: John P. Hunt and Robert Bernard. Publisher: IBM, August 2005. How topic-based DITA XML can provide the basis for developing an information architecture for single-sourced XML learning content.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita9a/

Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writors and Editors

Authors: Gretchen Hargis et al. Publisher: IBM, 2nd edition, 2004. How to apply quality characteristics that make technical information easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to find.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita9a/

Consulting

Description Information source

List of DITA consultants

http://dita.xml.org/taxonomy/term/48

DITA and DITA Open Toolkit standards and product releases

Description Information source

Roadmap for DITA development

Lists of proposed and committed features for future releases.

http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita/Roadmap_for_DITA_development

Current DITA Open Toolkit release

Bugs, support requests, patches, feature requests.

http://dita-ot.sourceforge.net/

OASIS DITA Open Toolkit project home

http://dita-ot.sourceforge.net/

OASIS DITA Open Toolkit 1.3 features and issues tracking

http://dita.xml.org/node/1282

DITA Open Toolkit developers mailing list

https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/dita-ot-developer

DITA 1.1 proposed features

http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita/DITA_1.1_Features

DITA 1.1 work items

http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita/List_of_DITA_1.1_Work_Items

OASIS DITA standards committee website

http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=dita

OASIS DITA Language Specification version 1.0

OASIS Standard, 09 May 2005.

http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.0/dita-v1.0-spec-os-LanguageSpecification.pdf

OASIS DITA Archetectural Specification version 1.0

OASIS Standard, 09 May 2005.

http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.0/dita-v1.0-spec-os-ArchitecturalSpecification.pdf

Usage Information

Description Information source

Apache Derby documentation

Apache Derby, an Apache database subproject, is a relational database implemented entirely in Java, and available under the Apache license, version 2.0. The Derby documentation manuals are sourced in DITA.

For an overview of the documentation, see http://db.apache.org/derby/manuals/index.html.

For the DITA source files, see http://db.apache.org/derby/manuals/dita.html.

User groups, forums

Description Information source

Forum for DITA questions and discussion

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users

Forum for Adobe FrameMaker/DITA questions

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/framemaker-dita

List of DITA user and interest groups (by location)

http://dita.xml.org/user-groups

DITA forums on sourceforge.net (there are three forums: developers, help, and open discussion)

https://sourceforge.net/forum/?group_id=132728

Conferences

Note: The following DITA-related conferences were or will be held in 2006. Some tentative dates are also given for 2007. For the latest information about these conferences, see the referenced websites.
Description Information source

XML 2006

Date: December 5-7. Location: Boston. Audience: Those who want to use XML and related technologies.

http://2005.xmlconference.org/

DITA Europe 2006

Date: November 2-3. Location: Frankfurt. Audience: Those who are interested in implementing XML DITA or learning more about this new standard for topic-based authoring. Conference organizer: Center for Information Development Management.

http://www.infomanagementcenter.com/DITAeurope/

Tri-XML 2006

Date: July 27-29. Location: Raleigh, NC. Focus: Presentations on real-world use of XML. Conference organizer: Tri-XML, an interest group for the Research Triangle area, NC USA that focuses on educating members in XML-related technologies and potential uses.

http://www.trixml.org//confindex.shtml

X-Pubs 2006

Date: June 20-21. Location:London. Focus: Seeks to critique the established business justification for the adoption of both XML and DITA in organizational publishing.

http://www.x-pubs.com/index.php

XTech 2006

Date: May 16-19. Location: Amsterdam. XTech 2007: Paris. Audience: Developers, information designers and managers working with web and standards-based technologies.

http://xtech06.usefulinc.com/content/about

Content Management Strategies 2006

Date: April 3-5. Location: San Francisco, CA. CMS 07: March 26-28, Boston, MA. Conference organizer: Center for Information Development Management (CIDM).

http://www.infomanagementcenter.com/index.htm

DITA 2006

Date: March 23-25. Location: Raleigh, NC. DITA 2007 (West Coast), February, California. DITA 2007 (East Coast), fall, Florida (tentative). Conference organizer: Bright Path Solutions.

http://www.travelthepath.com/dita2006.html