From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Robert J. Chassell" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.xemacs.design,gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: INFO on add-ons Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 12:18:28 +0000 (UTC) Sender: xemacs-design-admin@xemacs.org Message-ID: References: <3D728E82.8000808@cox.net> <87ptvxxkoj.fsf@tleepslib.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> <87fzwtxad9.fsf@tleepslib.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> <3D73F6D1.7010002@cox.net> <874rd7wuos.fsf@tleepslib.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> <3D74D797.7000707@cox.net> <87bs7etocv.fsf@tleepslib.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> <8765xlrvu9.fsf@tleepslib.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> <878z2fq1rz.fsf@tleepslib.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> Reply-To: bob@rattlesnake.com NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1031314654 12388 127.0.0.1 (6 Sep 2002 12:17:34 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 12:17:34 +0000 (UTC) Return-path: Original-Received: from gwyn.tux.org ([207.96.1.200]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 17nI3I-0003Dg-00 for ; Fri, 06 Sep 2002 14:17:32 +0200 Original-Received: from gwyn.tux.org (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by gwyn.tux.org (8.9.3/8.9.1) with ESMTP id IAA31899; Fri, 6 Sep 2002 08:19:01 -0400 Original-Received: (from turnbull@localhost) by gwyn.tux.org (8.9.3/8.9.1) id IAA31863 for xemacs-design-mailman@xemacs.org; Fri, 6 Sep 2002 08:18:38 -0400 Original-Received: (from mail@localhost) by gwyn.tux.org (8.9.3/8.9.1) id IAA31859 for turnbull@tux.org; Fri, 6 Sep 2002 08:18:38 -0400 Original-Received: from localhost (megalith.rattlesnake.com [140.186.114.245]) by gwyn.tux.org (8.9.3/8.9.1) with ESMTP id IAA31853 for ; Fri, 6 Sep 2002 08:18:36 -0400 Original-Received: by rattlesnake.com via sendmail from stdin id (Debian Smail3.2.0.114) Fri, 6 Sep 2002 12:18:28 +0000 (UTC) Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org, xemacs-design@xemacs.org In-Reply-To: <878z2fq1rz.fsf@tleepslib.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> (stephen@xemacs.org) X-XEmacs-List: design Errors-To: xemacs-design-admin@xemacs.org X-BeenThere: xemacs-design@xemacs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.1 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Discussion of design and features for XEmacs. List-Unsubscribe: , Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.xemacs.design:1431 gmane.emacs.devel:7620 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:7620 "Stephen J. Turnbull" writes .... AFAICT texinfo doesn't care about the textual structure of a texi document. I think I understand what you mean. In Texinfo, a node structure may be any directed graph, not just a hierarchical one. This is intended to be a feature: you and arrange your node structure as you wish. It is true that most documents are written like a book with a hierarchical structure, but they don't need to be. (However, the various help tools, like `texinfo-all-menus-update' that I wrote all require that the document follow a hierarchical structure since I lacked the ability or time to do otherwise.) As I see it, for documentation, the main problem with XML is exactly the same as the problem with LaTeX or HTML: most writers want to write for a single output format, and they pick one that does not convert readily to other output formats. Consequently, they write documents that do poorly when you are connected over a slow line (as still happens to me at intervals), or when you must work eyes-free (as when driving a car, or permanently blind). So my question to you is: does the present Texinfo --> XML converter produce XML that works with the tools you need? And is there a good XML --> Texinfo to convert the result back to Texinfo? If so, then we would benefit from tools in Emacs that make the conversions automatically from one to the other, that check whether usability constraints are met by running Texinfo, that check whether other constraints are met or that auto-generate documentation, by running XML tools. (Incidentally, to answer Miles' question, yes, the XML --> Texinfo must produce `good, readable' Texinfo, since the presumption is that other people, in addition to the author, will modify it. Since the Texinfo is the canonical form, it should not be `placed in a swamp' that is hard to study or modify, like binary-only programs.) -- Robert J. Chassell bob@rattlesnake.com bob@gnu.org Rattlesnake Enterprises http://www.rattlesnake.com Free Software Foundation http://www.gnu.org GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8