Re: The PDF generator on the toolserver has implications for quality control on a per-chapter basis

@Adam:
HTMLDOC is the basis for the toolserver PDF generator, I think. Thanks for
the recommendation on Scribus as well; I'll be looking into that.

@Everyone:
I do recognize that this has (big) limitations; that's why I think it's
place (for now) is a)allow easy "stable versions" (Andrew got it right;
also, keep in mind that these are just as easy to update) until we get some
consistent system we like in the software but b)not replace hand-done work
for creating a publishable PDF book. These *are* rough drafts, and aren't
meant to be sent to the printer. Instead this tool is a middle ground
between having only a (potentially) unstable version on-wiki and taking lots
of time and effort to make a publishable PDF book. Reducing the effort
threshold for PDF creation will probably make our books more usable.
-Mike

==Quoting==
As I said, doing something like this is an excellent first draft if you 
are trying to design a book.  But if you think this is going to be 
something acceptable in a classroom compared to commercially published 
textbooks, I think the results are going to be absolutely horrid from an 
aesthetic viewpoint.  It simply can't be automated without either an 
incredible amount of additional effort and significiant advances in 
artificial intelligence, or involving some grey matter from volunteers 
to make it look nice.  Perhaps some other software applications can be 
used, and if you like them, have fun!  I'm not suggesting that Open 
Office is the only one to use, but it is something that many individuals 
may already have or be using, is available under multiple operating 
systems, has a very simple installation path, and is also open source.  
That is a tough combination to try and beat.

BTW, thanks for suggesting Scribus.  I'll have to download it and try it 
out.

--Robert Horning

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