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.
>