Welcome to the SGML Source Home Page.
SGML is the International Standard (ISO 8879) language for structured document and data representation, the parent of HTML and XML and many others. I invented SGML in 1974 and led a 12-year technical effort by several hundred people to develop its present form as an International Standard.
The latest on the revision of ISO 8879, in the ISO SGML Review Current Information Set. The ISO 8879 revision is designed to be backward compatible, so that your existing conforming SGML documents will continue to conform. This area includes the WebSGML Adaptations and the SGML Extended Facilities.
My latest presentation on the state of SGML standards, including how to do strong datatyping today in XML and SGML, as a PDF file.
For Prentice-Hall PTR I edit The Definitive XML Series from Charles F. Goldfarb. You can read my personal survey of All the XML Books in Print.
There are things about SGML that deserve more attention than they usually get. Some of them are discussed at Charles F. Goldfarb's InFrequently Asked Questions (InFAQs).
For history buffs, some reliable papers on the early history of SGML and its precursor, GML, are preserved in the SGML History Niche.
This Web site, like many of the good things in my life, is made possible by my consulting practice, Information Management Consulting.
For journalists and others needing information on my work, photos, bios, and similar resources, see my press kit.
An outstanding resource for learning more about the SGML and XML family of standards is Robin Cover's SGML/XML Web Page.
The definitive site for SGML tools and services information is Steve Pepper's Whirlwind Guide.
HyTime is the International Standard for using SGML and XML for powerful hyperlinking and full hypermedia. For easy access to the HyTime 2nd Edition (August, 1997), including the SGML Extended Facilities that are planned for inclusion in the revised SGML, see the HyTime Users' Group Web site.
Copyright ©1999 Charles F. Goldfarb. All rights reserved. Information on this site cannot be used or cited for any commercial purpose, although pointers to the site are welcome. Any questions, comments, or suggestions? Send me mail.
This site was last updated November 27, 1999.