On Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:49:35 +0200 Luca Barbato <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Ciaran McCreesh wrote:
> > On Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:50:11 +0200
> > Luca Barbato <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >>> So how, specifically, is PMS "wrongly written", and why hasn't
> >>> anyone who thinks so bothered to provide details?
> >> - rewrite it as an rfc using a markup among xmlrfc, docbook,
> >> guidexml.
> >
> > What technical reason is there to use a markup that's more work for
> > those of us doing the writing? Writing XML is a huge pain in the ass
> > compared to latex.
>
> More people can understand those markups
I've yet to see anyone have any difficulties with Tex.
> they are consistent with the gentoo documentation
GuideXML can't even begin to cover our requirements. Simple example:
try to rewrite the following in GuideXML:
---START---
Global variables must only contain invariant values
(see~\ref{metadata-invariance}). If a global variable's value is
invariant, it may have the value that would be generated at any given
point in the build sequence.
This is demonstrated by code listing~\ref{lst:env-saving}.
\lstinputlisting[float,caption=Environment state between
functions,label=lst:env-saving]{env-saving.listing}
---END---
> they look better on screen than on paper
That's highly questionable. And PMS is sufficiently long that printing
it out is the easiest way of reading it, no matter what format it's in.
> tex is a great typesetting markup to write academic books. Right tool
> for the right task. It address the problem "PMS is anything but
> accessible"
How does making PMS twice the file size and five times as complicated to
edit make it more accessible?
> >> - use EBNF when describing a syntax.
> >
> > Is there any indication that this is any clearer? EBNF gets messy
> > when it comes to describing the whitespace rules, for example.
>
> It is less ambiguous than natural language. That solves the issue
> "The syntax is underspecified"
In what places is the syntax currently underspecified, and in said
places, why is EBNF a better solution that tightening up the existing
language? Please illustrate your answer with real examples.
--
Ciaran McCreesh
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