Computers: just what is all the fuss about? • 26 November 2006 • The SnowBlog

Computers: just what is all the fuss about?

          
I've had a few conversations with fellow publishers which drifted into technical waters... and at that point typically ran aground. Generally speaking, publishers aren't geeks and geeks aren't publishers. However, since the Nineties, geeks have been quietly revolutionising the world with their fancy Internets and their web thingamajigs and what-have-yous. Sometimes these new-fangled notions impinge directly upon the world of publishing and at other times they simply loom on the horizon, where they could be either icebergs or lovely tropical islands serving fruity cocktails. Without closer inspection it's impossible to tell. But who among us busy publishing types has the time or the stomach to read big thick books with acronym-heavy titles (and little in the way of humour unless you count cryptic references to obscure sci-fi shows). Well, fortunately for you all, the position of Snowbooks Chairman is not what you might call 'a proper job' and leaves me with some time on my hands. And so I have taken it upon myself to swim far out into the turbid waters of information technology and bring you back the following exotic delicacy. I have plucked each and every thorn from it and I can almost guarantee that it won't cause you any discomfort. To give my last overworked metaphor a breather, and to saddle up a fresh one, it's web technology in comfortable slippers beside a cozy fire. It'll slip down like a good pre-budget-meeting amontillado, and have much the same effect. Ladies and gentlemen, please click to download, a pdf version of: A simple guide to XML for publishers  
Rob