() k...@freefriends.org (Karl Berry) () Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:18:51 GMT 1) maybe the name should be IXIN rather than SXML? I thought SXML is just a generic name for XML written in sexprs. Or am I wrong? (For the same reason, we should not have named the "TexinfoXML" output just "XML", but it's too late now. Let's not compound the mistake.)
2) Should there be an --ixin option, like all the other output formats? 3) Should we add this to the documentation and make it an official part of 5.0, or do you (both) think that is still premature? I don't mean that every detail has to be nailed down and put in stone, but rather that the basic idea of "IXIN output" be mentioned. The IXIN format is all text, and includes (non-SXML) sexps, SXML, and base64-encoded blocks (for blobs). I think the format is not yet mature, but should be mentioned in the docs, anyway, for now. (I'm happy to contribute the spec from "The IXIN Chronicles" to Texinfo, btw.) The utility mkixin converts SXML to IXIN. I think once the format freezes, we have the option of adding mkixin to the Texinfo code base, or reimplementing it (in Perl, say), in order to avoid introducing dependecy on Guile (which carries its own set of portability concerns). I doubt the SXML output alone is useful, but that's based on my view of the XML output not being useful. To be fair, however, w/o SXML there would be no IXIN, and who knows, maybe someone will step up and design something better. As for 5.0... Realistically, the IXIN format needs another couple months (the other 90%) to nail down the "runtime tweakable" side of things, audit for upward-compatability, and more than anything, run through lots of tests aka real-world documents. I would hate to delay the release more than necessary; 5.0 w/o IXIN is fine w/ me. -- Thien-Thi Nguyen ..................................... GPG key: 4C807502 . NB: ttn at glug dot org is not me . . (and has not been since 2007 or so) . . ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES . ........... please send technical questions to mailing lists ...........
pgpEHHIOMqwfc.pgp
Description: PGP signature