There are 2 steps to producing PDF from Docbook XML.
Convert the XML to FO which can be done with any XSLT processor and that usually is the most time/resource intensive part.
Then you use FOP or any other FO processor to covert the FO file into PDF.
While FOP allows you to do both conversions in 1 step it is not required and, therefore, you do not have to use a Java processor to complete step 1. Again I'd suggest you try a different XSLT processor like Saxon or XSLTproc to covert your docbook to FO and then use Fop or any other renderer to convert the fo file into PDF.
2010/3/2 Remko Tronçon <>
> Do you have to do Java?
Unless you know of a free FO renderer written in another language, I
most of the time eventually do.
cheers,
Remko