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Sender:
Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
"Randolph J. Herber" <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 13 Aug 1998 07:29:34 -0500
Reply-To:
Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <[log in to unmask]>
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|Date:         Wed, 12 Aug 1998 15:32:32 -0700
|Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project
|From: Marcel Oliver <[log in to unmask]>
|Subject:      Re: Space and Time (was: Modules)
|To: Multiple recipients of list LATEX-L

|Martin Schroeder wrote:
|> Even today the _cheapest_ available PC has a P5/200 with 32MB RAM and 2GB HD.
|> When L3 will be available(2y+?), this will certainly be the standard PC in
|> use; the cheapest to buy will run at 500MHz++. And we'll all be able to use
|> BIGGGTeX. :-)

|> I don't think we should be concerned much about TeXs main memory or
|> processing speed -- there will be plenty.

|I disagree.  I believe somewhere in the long-term development of TeX
|and/or LaTeX one has to come to a point were visual markup decisions
|(page breaks, float placement, maybe even parshapes) can be done
|within some GUI and are clearly separated from the logical markup
|which is best done in a traditional text editor (thus, getting rid of
|ugly things like float placement parameters, \addtopage, \clearpage
|etc.) in the .tex file.

In as much as I dispise GUIs, I agree that using a GUI for this purpose
is reasonable---the function is graphical in nature.

This does not require and ought not cause the markup for these functions
to be removed from the .tex file or for such markup to be made in such a
manner that it can not be changed with ordinary text editors easily.  The
markup for these functions could be stylized so that the GUI could
recognize the markup when reading a .tex file and generate such stylized
markup when rewritting the .tex file.

|This requires a sufficiently fast TeX engine to be useful---the
|avarage PC is now coming into this range.  So I don't think it would
|be a good idea to throw away performance unless it is compensated by a
|clear and major gain in non-performance issues.  This performance may
|be desperately needed in future development of LaTeX which is not yet
|forseen.

|Just my thoughts on this...

|Marcel

Randolph J. Herber, [log in to unmask], +1 630 840 2966,
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