Re: [ELPA] Display package description as Org-exported text or HTML?

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Daniel Mendler <mail@daniel-mendler.de> [2021-05-31 13:54]:
> On 5/31/21 12:29 PM, Jean Louis wrote:
> > * Daniel Mendler <mail@daniel-mendler.de> [2021-05-31 13:10]:
> >> Is it possible to display a package description as Org-exported text or
> >> even as HTML on the ELPA website?
> >>
> >> See for example http://elpa.gnu.org/packages/consult.html, which shows a
> >> large Org source file as "Full description".
> > 
> > That is not readable. 
> > ...
> > Thus, it is best to provide README.txt in plain text.
> 
> Jean, did you read my question? I am asking how to avoid this problem
> you are reiterating.

Yes, I have fully understand it and answered that I find plain text
most universally readable file. README should be just that in plain
text, without any extensions. I don't oppose using README.org but I
oppose usin README.org or README.md without plain text README, as
those are less accessible, less readable markups and allow too many
variations.

By the way, the package description for consult says:

Consult has been inspired by Counsel. Some of the Consult commands
originated in the Counsel package or the Selectrum wiki. See the
README for a full list of contributors.

[back]

but there is no `README' in the ~/.emacs.d/elpa/consult-20210519.1000/ 

There are other packages that do have README in the directory, maybe
you could include it in the package.

IMHO, README as such should be user friendly, not written in any
lightweight markup language.

That does not mean that I oppose generation of HTML or using
README.org, I just think that plain text README should be there and
readable by any GNU tools on command line, or any editor, not just
Emacs, or markdown supported editor.

See (info "(elisp) Multi-file Packages") where it says:

,----
|    If the content directory contains a file named ‘README’, this file is
| used as the long description (overriding any ‘;;; Commentary:’ section).
`----

But Markdown and Org mode silently override decades long readable
README files. I just wonder why.

Org file can look so nice and readable, but yours is not due to a lot
of markup, that is why I say there should should be simple readable
version.

Markdown may look nice and readable but yet people may include any
kind of HTML inside and make it very unreadable.

For those reasons it would be better to have plain text README, while
Markdown, Org, and other markups could be used for other different
purposes. 

-- 
Jean

Take action in Free Software Foundation campaigns:
https://www.fsf.org/campaigns

Sign an open letter in support of Richard M. Stallman
https://stallmansupport.org/