Davis Polk &
Wardwell
We hired Bob to create for us a DocBook-based publishing
system, which included a number of requirements: tools for
converting MS Word documents to DocBook XML, a customized
DocBook XML authoring environment, XSL and XSL-FO stylesheets,
and software and scripts for producing the final HTML and
PDF outputs for publishing. In fact, for the PDF outputs,
we asked Bob to match samples from both an outside design
firm and previously published material.
The project was a total success, and Bob made it all seem
incredibly easy from beginning to end. He is clearly an expert
in his field and one of the most knowledgeable consultants
out there. Beyond that, though, what made working with him
such a pleasure were his quick turnaround time (actually,
he was ahead of us at most phases of the project), relaxed
and friendly personality, sense of humor, and his constant
flexibility in accommodating our unique site requirements.
I truly hope we'll have the chance to work with him again,
and I recommend him without any reservation.
Jason Tomarken
Systems Analyst
Davis Polk & Wardwell
http://www.dpw.com/
Mathias Consulting
As a newcomer to DocBook, I found the variety of tools available to be bewildering. Bob guided me right to the tools and techniques that I needed to get going. By outsourcing the XSL development to Bob, I was able to complete several fairly complex projects without too much
pain. If you are new to DocBook, or if you want to leave the XSL to a master, I would definitely recommend Bob Stayton.
Cheryl Chase
Mathias Consulting
http://www.mathiasconsulting.com
Consortium on the Management of Disorders of Sex Development
http://www.dsdguidelines.org
Sectra Imtec AB
We hired Bob Stayton for creating a full fledged DocBook
documentation and publishing system. During my time experimenting
with our layout for Windows Help and PDF I sent a lot of emails
to the DocBook community mailing lists and got help from Bob
Stayton and many others. When we decided that we needed help
to build a system matching our unique requirements, Bob Stayton
was the obvious choice.
Bob helped us in converting complex Word documents to DocBook
XML. And based on our vague specifications. he created a very
professional and consistent layout for both Windows Help and
PDF. Based on our special requirements, Bob helped us select
the tools necessary for processing XSL and creating PDF's.
Bob has also helped us develop special customizations for
Japanese (Unicode) output and the use of external links (olinks)
between documents.
Many times I've sent emails or called at off-business hours
but Bob has almost always been available. It has been a pleasure
to work with Bob, and we're very pleased with the result.
We've been able to reduce redundencies and are able to create
content more efficiently. The capabilities of the DocBook
documentation and publishing system are quite astounding compared
to the amount of money we've spent on its development.
At Sectra we have several applications that share much of
the User interface. By creating User guides that are modular,
we have been able to minimize redundency, and as a direct
effect cut translation costs. These guides are distributed
by partners that apply their own branding on the content.
By using entities and profiling we have been able to automate
the branding process and reduced the time to market considerably.
I hope that I'll have the chance to work with Bob again!
Kenneth Johansson
Technical Documentation Manager
Sectra Imtec AB
kenneth.johansson.home@gmail.com
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Viasat, Inc.
Bob Stayton did a great job for us involving several tasks.
He deciphered our convoluted Excel sheet and created a program
to export the data into XML. He worked with us to translate
our vague requirements into XML schema and output formats.
Bob is great to work with, very responsive and professional.
We would definitely use him again for XML technology problems.
David Blaine
SEPG Lead
Viasat, Inc.
http://www.viasat.com
Johnnado.com
I engaged Bob Stayton of Sagehill Enterprises to create a
publishing system that solves the documentation problems that
I have repeatedly encountered in the EDA (Electronic Design
Automation) software industry.
At previous companies, I used FrameMaker to create training
manuals for EDA software. These software products shared many similarities,
so the manuals contained a lot of common content. Slide presentations
for training courses contained yet another copy of the same
content.
Our software evolved very rapidly.
Each change to the software required multiple changes to the
manuals and slides. Eventually, I could write no more content,
because all my time was consumed by maintenance. It was clear
to me that SGML (the predecessor of XML) would solve my problem,
but no practical solution was available.
At Johnnado, we have a series of manuals for our IC
physical design flow software.
Our software is consistent and
modular, so our manuals share a great deal of content.
I could not allow our documentation to become the maintenance
nightmare I saw before. I knew we needed the modularity and
parameterizability of XML, but it would have taken way too
long for us to implement a solution. We needed an expert to
quickly build the right solution.
Bob Stayton realized my vision. At last, I can author
content once, and include that content in multiple manuals,
parameterized for the software it describes.
Bob listened to my idea, developed a plan, translated our
HTML documentation to XML, and created our modular
DocBook XML documentation system. Bob set up Corel XMetaL
for authoring, and built an XSL processing system to create
HTML, PDF, and even presentation slides for training courses.
All from the same XML source.
Bob Stayton's system reduces our cost by eliminating useless document
maintenance. We expect increased user satisfaction and sales
because we can now quickly create new manuals from existing
content, while maintaining consistency across the entire documentation
set. I wholeheartedly recommend Bob Stayton as the solution
for your documentation problems.
John McGehee
http://johnnado.com
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