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Subject:
From:
David Carlisle <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 26 May 1998 11:03:43 +0100
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> I feel only luke-warm.
Well, that's good! It could have been that you felt positively
hostile...

> Some features are long overdue:  the naming system (if only it were
> more consistently applied) and the different types of arguments (n, o,
> x, etc.).

If you spot any particular inconsitencies we'd be interested. The
details of the naming scheme change from time to time so inconsistencies
may relate to older conventions that we ought to update, or it may be
that you are viewing some concept in a different way.

> But `fake' integers?  I like hacking TeX too, but I realize
> its limitations.  There seems to have been a considerable amount of
> effort put into overcoming limitations of TeX which are better
> overcome by changing TeX - as has already been done.  If I need more
> counters I will use Omega.

The fake integer implementations predate etex and omega. Probably it is
correct to say that a real L3 implementation would use an extended tex's
features for that, but perhaps this implementation may still be useful to
provide support for a standard tex. Also (and more to the point here) it
gives an example of a relatively simple datatype implemented within L3
as opposed to being a primitive tex register. As you will have noticed
the distribution is mainly intended as a set of `small examples'. The
examples provided are mainly chosen to be small enough to run just with
the provided code, rather than being chosen as being particularly the
most important or useful topics.


> I'm not normally the paranoid type (although I like watching The X
> Files as much as the next person . . .) but features such as
> removeoldnames are positively subversive!

Well.. Having that feature on a latex2e package (which then disables
almost all of the underlying system) is clearly rather strange, and only
there as a topic of conversation, not really to be used.
However if one considers making a format from scratch using these kinds
of conventions, then it does make sense to at least consider freeing up
the tex primitive names. It is not clear whether it is a good idea or
not, but it does have several advantages. The main point of the
[removeoldnames] option is to provoke discussion of that.

> The packages give tantalizing hints about the future and raise more
> questions than they answer.

Ah. They are working just as intended!

>  Surely `fake' integers can not be here to stay?

See comments above.

> On the one hand it looks like the Team want to drop TeX, but at the
> same time it looks as though they are trying to hold on tightly.  I
> would appreciate a little more clarity on this issue.  Clearly at this
> stage we are not all going to agree on whether we go with Omega or
> e-TeX, or a merger of the two projects (ideal), but what about
> dropping TeX per se?

This is of course a big issue. One that wasn't really so pressing when
the l3 project started. omega/etex/pdftex/... and how they relate to the
standard tex distributions is something that will clearly have an effect
on how latex develops, but I don't think it is clear at this stage
how things will turn out.

Generalising slightly, it is etex rather than omega or pdftex that has
the most bearing on the kind of low level programming issues addressed
by this distribution, as omega's otp and language support is really
acting at a different level, as is the variant pdf backend in pdftex.
However etex is also concerned with improving the basic programming
aspects and so does (or rather should) affect the design at various
points (eg fake counters, although in that case omega also provides
the functionality). However if you start to consider a full L3
environment not just this low level programming language, then
all the tex extensions will have an influence.

> and (a) adopt a new base platform (Omega, e-TeX, whatever)
> and (b) change the name to something other than LaTeX.

Both are topics that are worth discussing.....

> In TeX, all macros must be unique across all input files for a job, to
> avoid unintended conflicts.> To be true to L3PL, this means using the
> <module> component on practically everything.  While I do not object
> to this in principle, it is yet another burden for package writers.

Some package writers (me, for instance) already use some kind of module
system to try to ensure uniqueness of internal names. eg all longtable
internal command names begin \LT@... all tabularx ones begin \TX@...
So I don't really see this as an extra burden, more of an aid in having
a documented mechanism for this. Having the naming scheme being based on
some kind of abstract `module' rather than package based, should help
different packages share code.

> Third, it isn't possible to abstract away from TeX completely.  The
> fact that there are so many `TeXhackers notes' hints at this, as well
> as `w' in arg-specs.  I suspect that using many of the new macros
> properly requires an understanding of what's happening at the TeX
> level.

Hopefully it will be possible to build up the core l3 functionality to
the point that it is possible to program using `l3 primitives'
without having to look up the definition of each of those in terms of
tex primitives. That probably is not the case with the current suite of
functions and the current level of documentation.

> (And what are error messages going to look like?)

A good question. One possibilty is to have long helpful error messages
loaded `on demand' from external files.

> Fifth, an even more basic objection is `so what?'.  It isn't clear
> that using L3PL will yield a significant payoff.  Is it really worth
> the enormous effort of rewriting LaTeX in L3PL when (a) it already
> works, and (b) the underlying system is still TeX?  The maxim `if it
> ain't broke, don't fix it' surely applies here.

Another good question. If the outcome is to produce a rewrite of 2e but
using a new internal syntax then I agree it isn't much of a payoff.
However one may want to extend the functionality of latex in places
where it does not ``already work'' not least you may want to take
advantage of extra functionality coming from omega or etex, and also one
of the original motivations, producing a system that makes it easier to
implement design specifications. Although it is not _really_ hard to
write a latex class file, there are still relatively few good ones
around, that implement layouts drastically different to the standard
classes. Part of the problem is that it is too much like programming,
rather than being a more declarative interface closer to a design spec.
While latex2 does `work' it is a rather monolithic beast that is rather
hard to change fundamentally without breaking a lot of existing code.
If you are going to break stuff in order to add functionality, you may
as well take a step back and try to `do it right' (or at least
better). Which is really the point of these packages.

> I need more convincing.  Let the Team show us why the L3PL is so
> great, by releasing some of their prototype re-implementations of some
> of the functionality of LaTeX.

It may be that discussions show changes need to be made to all parts of
this proposed interface. Therefore we don't really want to code up
a really functioning `latex-lookalike' at this stage, while we are still
in a stage where we are prepared to go right back to the drawing board
and redo everything. Probably some larger programming examples will get
released  reasonably soon though, depending on time available.

> Let the debate begin!

Hope so.

David

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