Open Source TMS: optentm2 / Open Source Localization framework: okapitools

The open standards in the world of localization becoming more and more mainstream. XLIFF as the main data model to carry localized information between the different automated and manual steps within the localization process, TMX as a format to exchange translation memories, ... the full list of standards can be find here http://www.opentag.com/okapi/wiki/index.php?title=Open_Standards.
This enables more and more open source or free available tools to support certain steps in the localization process without dealing with proprietary and complex formats and conventions.
Few weeks ago the new project "opentm2" released first stable release. Based on IBM TranslationManager this infrastructure claims:

OpenTM2 provides an open platform for managing translation related activities with enterprise level scalability and quality. It serves as an open yet comprehensive localization tool that provides that integration platform. Ultimately, the goal is to create a cost-efficient and high-quality localization deliverable.

Promising and  goes into the same direction as GlobalSight mentioned in a previous post: http://trent-intovalue.blogspot.com/2009/05/open-source-tms-globalsight.html.
In addition infrastructure helps to automate common tasks in localization and dealing with the mentioned standards are available as open source. The project "Okapi framework"  provides a pipeline and several useful steps in localization processes, like

• read several input formats
  http://www.opentag.com/okapi/wiki/index.php?title=Filters
• common steps in localization process
  http://www.opentag.com/okapi/wiki/index.php?title=Steps
• connection to common translation resources (like TMS)
  http://www.opentag.com/okapi/wiki/index.php?title=Connectors

 In addition useful tools to e.g. test text segmentation rules based on SRX and provide a Java based infrastructure which can be embedded in your own application makes this framework something you should look at if you work for / in localization process.

Hopefully the story continues.....

Link: Image Search Tools

Short post for useful list of image search tools posted here "7 Image Search Tools That Will Change Your Life". With the help of such tools you might be able to find images and not only search for it.....

DITA - Beyond OT

DITA-OT (Open Toolkit) is the reference implementation to transform DITA source into various output formats. The reference implementation is open source and maintained by increasing community:

The OT using Apache ANT as pipeline infrastructure. Thats OK in general, but there are several shortcomings once you have to integrate or extend the OT implementation for enterprise use cases (see e.g. discussion "Pipeline refactoring", "Diving Into Performance Improvements").
Because DITA-OT is "only" a reference implementation there might be other implementation out there already using a better approach because they started development once the limitation of the OT implementation already known?
Yes there are two available I'm aware of with different key aspects:

•  XMLmind DITA Converter (see http://www.xmlmind.com/ditac/what_is_ditac.html)
  
  Key Aspects: Easier use, integration and improved output.
  Reality: Bad and monolithic design with hard coded java based pipeline and a small user community. No real advantage compared to existing DITA-OT.
  
• DITA XProc Pipelines (see https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-8740)
  
  Key Aspects: greater flexibility, extensibility, portability, performance.
  Reality:
  Implementation based on XProc (XML Pipeline Language). The design is one step in the right direction and shows the much higher scalability (functional and non functional) of this design, e.g. in case you want to use a extended semantics for validation you can add ISO-Schematron based rules for validation using existing "ISO Schematron schema for DITA" stylesheet and build-in "p:validate-with-schematron" step in XProc and add it into the existing pipeline.
  
  This implementation isn't perfect, it mainly use XProc markup for the implementation which makes the code long and hard to read / maintain. The usage of the right language for each step which is one advantage of XML pipelining isn't consequent implemented in this implementation. Based on currently available XProc Engines (http://tests.xproc.org/results/) this implementation is not yet ready for enterprise but this will change in the near future the more real world examples are available and used in production.

The XProc based approach is promising and maybe in the future the DITA-OT development also switch over to real XML pipelining. This makes any kind of integration and extension much easier than it is today.....