DOCBOOK-APPS: Again: Apache FOP, Docbook: Features / Versions,"complete" Docbook distribution

[Alexander Schatten <alasan at gmx dot net>]

Again: I did some extensive testing of different xsl stylesheet 
versions, my conclusions considering PDF production are (html works 
fine, btw):

always using apache fop 0.20.2:

docbook-xsl-1.47-experimental and docbook-xsl-1.48

does not work at all: "[java] [ERROR]: property 'master-reference' ignored"

docbook-xsl-1.41 and docbook-xsl-1.45 (I could not finde other versions 
as on sourceforge there is only version 1.45, no older ones, and the 
1.41 I found in my private "archive")

these versions "work", depending on the definition of "working"; lets 
say, they produce no error, but output is with significant drawbacks; 
just a few to mention:

-- no tables rendered (all tables in my document where missing)
-- no index rendered
-- table of contents not "good" formatted, looks ugly (spacing, number 
alignment, ...)
-- "programlisting" indentation much too big
-- some other (minor) problems.
(-- no pdf links)

so this is unfortunately not usable. (I tried no images, btw, so I am 
not sure if this works)

can anyone recommend me a version/combination of FOP and docbook-xsl 
that produces better results? the reason is also this: as there was no 
feedback to one of my recent postings considering a "complete" and hence 
useful docbook distribution also for non-experts, I a trying to build 
one containing:

* xml editor
* docbook DTD
* docbook xsl
* ant + ant buildfile for publication of test document to html single, 
html chunked and PDF (!)
* xalan
* fop
* ... ?

but at least one complete publishing step should be possible and PDF 
publishing is definitly required, otherwise this makes no sense. and the 
"hacks" using latex... may be nice, but are definitly not usable for 
most people as additional latex installation (with all its problems) is 
required, conversion to tex and tex calls are necessary, and Latex was 
too complex either for most people, so this workaround is nice for 
experts but not for the "normal" writer.

so comments would be required considering my problems above.


thank you


Alex