On Saturday 06 May 2006 14:54, Abdelrazak Younes wrote: > I guess that would be a "no" from JMarc and Lars so let's just forget > about this thread. Sorry for the noise.
Since it looks that as I am getting old I am getting a bit wiser let me tell an history of persistence and success (I hope). I always liked python, I still do, if I have to choose between C++ and python I will choose python without any second guess. Depending on the type of problems, notice that I have programs running for months (scientific computing), I may need to use C++ and I like it and use it, but clearly it is not my first choice. I have studied the ancient code in the "lyx archaelogy saga" if you remember. It is an interesting reading no less, and a huge mess, believe me. One of parts where I took personal interest was the file format code, it was more messier that you could ever imagine, a kludge after another to make the code load ancient versions. The situation was becoming impossible to maintain, with lyx only expecting to maintain code compatibility with the two previous versions. A disaster in disguise by other words. I always laugh at the message that lyx had for really old files, "Please install lyx 0.10 to read those files". In 2001/2002 I suggested the best solution was to move that code externally. And clearly I thought that best candidate for the job was a python script. Fortunately and at the same time, Dekel Tsur had some python scripts to convert some old files to new files. I took the general tools from it and generalized the idea. The problem of lyx2lyx was the additional dependence on another external package, python. Yet lyx2lyx proved to be able to refine the lyx file format, after all we had more file format changes during 1.3 than before 1.3 (all together). Notice that most of the convertions were done by Georg and Jürgen with some other by Martin and Angus. And the merit goes to them. :-) The addition of lyx2lyx even allowed to do back-compatibility something impossible before, notice that this is something that I don't care at all. lyx2lyx allowed indirectly the presence of configure.py since python is no longer an external dependence. If I had some time (impossible in the next couple of months) I intend to improve lyx2lyx even further. And FWIW my next target is tex2lyx, I intend to convert it to python to integrate it with LyX python module. Moral of the story: If you believe in something fight for it and choose your battles, it is impossible to win everytime. :-) > Abdel. Unless a change is well thought it will bite you (us) when and where you least expect. I learned to hear them, they are a smart bunch and if they object usually there is a strong reason. If there is not and you prove them that they will admit. Either way we all win. :-) PS: I am tired and this seems like rubbish then ignore it, please. :-) -- José Abílio
