More economical but only by a by then unnoticeable amount, as you say.  It is only the thought that ordinary users may have to change to a system that looks in any sense different (within the next 20 years or so) that frightens the millions, and their support staff: thus use of such language would perhaps be best avoided?



Comments from others please.



Chris



Sent from a bar . . . maybe an iBar.



On 18 Jul 2013, at 18:45, iPad Mittelbach <[log in to unmask]> wrote:



> I can't see anything worrying in that statement. What has developed so far for L3 nicely enough runs on top of a 2e format but the more it becomes complete the more will be the  two centuries of plain TeX + LaTeX 2.09 + 2e code in the current format become a burden.

> 

> And as a result there may be a point when it will be more economical to drop that format (and perhaps support certain 2e code as a package).

> 

> Whether the new thing is then a format in the old sense or something that is loaded (like it is now into 2e) remains to be seen. So in that sense it might be not a "format" because these days the loading part is not really taking that long any more.

> 

> Frank

> 

> ... written on the iPad but not from an iBar

> 

> Am 18.07.2013 um 16:56 schrieb Chris Rowley <[log in to unmask]>:

> 

>> Joseph

>> 

>>>> Until we actually have the basics of a new format, 

>> 

>> A new format???

>> 

>> That sounds worrying as I am passing the message to the million+ everyday users of LaTeX that there will never again be a need for different 'formats' with all its technical and sociological problems, primarily because they are handy only for last century's technology levels.

>> 

>> So I hope we can have a consistent message on this.

>> 

>> Chris

>> 

>> 

>> PSent from a bar . . . maybe an iBar.

>>