Support for O'Reilly HTMLBook conversions?

johnbw · 04-15-2014, 04:08 PM

O'Reilly Media is developing a potential file format specification for authoring print and eBooks which looks like it could be an excellent starting point for high quality conversions to other formats. Is this something that make sense as a calibre supported format, and if so, is anyone working on this?

The spec can be seen at http://oreillymedia.github.io/HTMLBook/.

Thanks!

kovidgoyal · 04-15-2014, 09:53 PM

It's just HTML with a bunch of extra, "semantic" attributes, and restrictions on what is allowed where. It will convert just as well as any other HTML file. From what I can see of it, it looks fairly pointless. Why didn't they just stick with some txt based markup? What's the point of using HTML and then restricting what you can do with it? Who is going to bother trying to remember the arbitrary set of restrictions they impose on their HTML? Did they not learn anything from the dozens of failed efforts to create "semantic" XML based markups.

Not to mention that there seems to be no data in that spec on how to organize resources like css and html files.

In any case, as I said, it will convert just as well as any other HTML file in calibre.

johnbw · 04-18-2014, 12:46 PM

Thanks for taking a look at this Kovid and for your insights. I'm looking at it and calibre from the perspective of a publisher, tying to figure out the best initial file format to support high quality conversion to print and other eBook formats. This is part of O'Reilly's internal publishing system which they are looking to expose to third party publishers through their "Atlas" platform - https://atlas.oreilly.com/.

kovidgoyal · 04-18-2014, 12:49 PM

You should be able to use it if you want to. As I said it should convert just as well any any HTML file, since as far as I could see after a quick browse of the spec, there is nothing that is actually incompatible with ordinary html in there.

johnbw · 04-18-2014, 01:09 PM

Thanks again Kovid. I plan to follow up with O'Reilly regarding the missing pieces and I'll give it try.

04-15-2014, 04:08 PM	#1
johnbw Agile eBooks Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: kindle	Support for O'Reilly HTMLBook conversions? O'Reilly Media is developing a potential file format specification for authoring print and eBooks which looks like it could be an excellent starting point for high quality conversions to other formats. Is this something that make sense as a calibre supported format, and if so, is anyone working on this? The spec can be seen at http://oreillymedia.github.io/HTMLBook/. Thanks!

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04-15-2014, 09:53 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,842 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	It's just HTML with a bunch of extra, "semantic" attributes, and restrictions on what is allowed where. It will convert just as well as any other HTML file. From what I can see of it, it looks fairly pointless. Why didn't they just stick with some txt based markup? What's the point of using HTML and then restricting what you can do with it? Who is going to bother trying to remember the arbitrary set of restrictions they impose on their HTML? Did they not learn anything from the dozens of failed efforts to create "semantic" XML based markups. Not to mention that there seems to be no data in that spec on how to organize resources like css and html files. In any case, as I said, it will convert just as well as any other HTML file in calibre.

04-18-2014, 12:46 PM	#3
johnbw Agile eBooks Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: kindle	Thanks for taking a look at this Kovid and for your insights. I'm looking at it and calibre from the perspective of a publisher, tying to figure out the best initial file format to support high quality conversion to print and other eBook formats. This is part of O'Reilly's internal publishing system which they are looking to expose to third party publishers through their "Atlas" platform - https://atlas.oreilly.com/.

04-18-2014, 12:49 PM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,842 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	You should be able to use it if you want to. As I said it should convert just as well any any HTML file, since as far as I could see after a quick browse of the spec, there is nothing that is actually incompatible with ordinary html in there.

04-18-2014, 01:09 PM	#5
johnbw Agile eBooks Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: kindle	Thanks again Kovid. I plan to follow up with O'Reilly regarding the missing pieces and I'll give it try.

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