xsl-fo 2.0

From the www.xsl-fo list yesterday.

the Anvil XSL-FO Toolset is now available!

Anvil XSL-FO Toolset is a set of applications that enables designers to produce XSL-FO documents using GA oriented applications. The InDesign CS2 plug-in (XSL-FO Producer) produces XSL-FO 1.1 and the HP Proposed XSL-FO 2.0 with support for non-rectangular areas. The Post-Design Suite enables you to inspect the document, see the pagination models and create a PDF rendition.

At this moment in time you can download binaries for the toolset. The InDesign plug-ins are working on Mac and PC and the Post-Design Suite is a java application.

The Anvil XSL-FO Toolset can be freely downloaded at: hp.com sent by Fabio Giannetti

Two points triggered my interest. Fabio was the voice behind a point and click look at xsl-fo some time back, so I guess he knows what's what.

The other one is the media-specific processing, to use a term I've come across before. The thinking goes that xsl-fo is good enough for 90% of print output. Sometimes, just sometimes, it needs that tweak that used to cost a persons wages full time. The typesetter. I'm now convinced that the ability to merge the output of xsl-fo with some sort of tool that will let me 'finish off' (use your own phrase there) the document to the standards that your organisation wants, is a combination that could be a break through. It seems that the XSL WG in W3C are losing interest or available time has run out; I'm beginning to see a distinct lack of development. If that's the case, then a logical step forward would be to combine the good bits of xsl-fo with the costly manpower aspects of the older days.

I'm wondering if that's how Fabio sees it.