Marcel Oliver writes:
 > So would anybody be interested seriously set up a portable LaTeX
 > project?
i, for one, could consider asking my management to allow me time to
work on it. i would volunteer to work on the
reference LaTeX-subset to *ML converter.


 > I think the frontmatter/bibliography stuff we have discussed enough,
but we havent resolved it...:-}

 > For area 3, one would initially need at least one reference
 > implementation of a LaTeX to *ML converter were one must make sure
 > that it supports a complete portable LaTeX standard which allows
 > serious scientific publishing without unnecessary restrictions. (Would
 > the Elsevier converter come close to this description?) Moreover, a
the Elsevier converter is slightly odd. I would suggest, rather, that
a TeX4ht configuration to produce XML/MathML is more realistic, and portable.
Eitan Gurari and I have done a lot of this already.

 > (TeX based) LaTeX package for verifying that the portability of a
 > LaTeX file.
we tried that once here. one can go quite a long way, i think

 > - LaTeX is hackable. While this is certainly opposed to the goals of a
..
 >   I believe a lot of resistance to a pure *ML solution comes from the
 >   fear for loss of hackability.
of course, i agree. its a real issue

a cautionary tale: i am in the process of learning Java, and
have great problems readjusting myself to a `real'  language after the
freedom of Perl. but i will persist, because I know my Perl programs
are not going to stand the test of time. i feel the same about LaTeX -
I can write fast in it, like it, get results with it, but I know its
not good for me. so i must force myself to readjust. i'll do my
hacking in a different part of the process

 > Do people feel that such an approach is useful and has a sufficient
 > chance of success?  If so, would anybody actually do some work?  I am

i feel very strongly that your suggestions will get nowhere without a
single leader, who can devote real time to it. i know i advocate Bazaarism, but
in this case, it'll get nowhere without a coordinator. IMHO.


Sebastian