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Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
Marcel Oliver <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 9 Nov 1998 12:03:32 +0100
Reply-To:
Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <[log in to unmask]>
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Sebastian Rahtz wrote:
>
>  > ultimately incompatible. I really know SGML/XML (Sebastian, what do
>  > you hope to get out of the LaTeX3 project that you think you cannot
>  > get out of SGML?),
> I want a reliable batch-oriented page makeup system, no more, no
> less. I want to store my text in XML, and have LaTeX produce beautiful
> pages when I give it a style sheet

Since you are working for Elsevier, what is your vision for authors'
electronic submission of manuscripts?  In your opinion, will LaTeX
have a place, or would you like to use XML as the exclusive
format for submission?  What tools would authors use in that case?

>  > already exists and supposedly works well? Moreover, especially when
>  > typing Mathematics, complete logical mark-up is way beyond what most
>  > authors need in practice.
> today, yes. but they are crippling themselves by saving all their hard
> work in a presentation format, IMHO.

In many mathematical subject areas most of the work really happens
before anything is entered into a computer at all.  Therefore,
presentation considerations do not (and maybe should not) enter the
work until the key ideas have been worked out.

>  > If my requirements go beyond publishing, my primary tools are
>  > different (although it would help if they could export to LaTeX
>  > when it comes to publishing), but then I don't mind the extra
>  > effort required.
> with respect, is that not short-sighted? the "extra effort required"
> can scale up into man years

In emerging subject areas it is often not obvious how a mathemtically
consistent machine processable representation should be structured, nor
is it clear if and how this could be useful in the future.  While these
questions are certainly important and worthwhile, they are not the only
ones that drive mathematical innovation.  Thus, having data formats
which are optimized for presentation, and others which are optimized for
machine processing of the logical content is, IMHO, not crippling at
all,
but reflects the different priorities, styles of work, and subject areas
in the mathematical sciences.

Marcel

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