[fedora-java] FOP, gcj, classpath, oh my!

[Karsten Wade]

On Thu, 2006-09-07 at 10:37 -0400, Thomas Fitzsimmons wrote:
> Hi Karsten!
> 
> Karsten Wade wrote:
> > Can someone give fedora-docs-list an update about our ability to put out
> > a 100% free, gcj-compiled DocBook toolchain?
> 
> I've been meaning to test this against Rawhide but haven't got to it yet.  When 
> I do, I'll report the status here.  (I have a feeling there will have been 
> improvements because of the Java2D work in GNU Classpath).

Toolchain gang and friends, take note:

There have been replies to this thread[1], starting here:

https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-java-list/2006-September/msg00007.html

There are some requests for information and/or testing help from FDP:

 * SVG graphics that you use in documentation
 * Testing of the tools against real documents, especially into PDF
 * Listing of issues [2]
 * Examples for developers to test against

Tommy - is the barrier to having make run the Java tools the lack of
support in xmlto?  If we're this close, maybe we can get xmlto updated
in the devel tree (rawhide) right away.  Bonus would be if we could see
all of this pushed eventually into updates to FCs 5 and 6.

For those who don't know what this is all about, we have been working
to:

* Produce an alternative DocBook toolchain that is inline with other
DocBook usage, so we can gain from the DB community

* This means using FOP to produce PDF and PS files.  FOP is an Apache
project, and is written in Java

* Make this Java-based toolchain compile and run using a 100% free and
open source compiler and virtual machine (gcj)

The version of this toolchain running with a proprietary JVM works well
right now, but only if you compile and run using a JVM such as Sun's or
IBM's.  Until we can get a 100% FLOSS solution, we cannot support a
toolchain that has a requirement on non-free software to make it work.

This means you could potentially use this toolchain right now to build
PDFs.  If there is anything you can do to help the developers, this is a
worthy cause.

- Karsten
[1] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-java-list/2006-September/thread.html#00006
[2] http://wiki.apache.org/xmlgraphics/GnuClasspathCompatibility
-- 
Karsten Wade, RHCE, 108 Editor    ^     Fedora Documentation Project 
 Sr. Developer Relations Mgr.     |  fedoraproject.org/wiki/DocsProject
   quaid.108.redhat.com           |          gpg key: AD0E0C41
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