[mgp-users 01159] Re: Sam's Improvements; my MGP macro processor

[Sam Steingold <sds@gnu.org>]

> * In message <m3ptm46qdv.fsf@totally-fudged-out-message-id>
> * On the subject of "[mgp-users 01157] Sam's Improvements; my MGP macro processor"
> * Sent on Mon, 26 May 2003 21:54:02 -0700
> * Honorable Tim Maher <tim@consultix-inc.com> writes:
>
> First of all, this is free software you're complaining about,
> supported primarily by its developer who undoubtedly has many other
> higher priorities, and who has already provided you with something
> useful on an as-is basis.

I contribute to several Free Software projects on a regular basis.
GNU Emacs (http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/),
CLISP (http://clisp.cons.org),
CLOCC (http://clocc.sf.net).

Do _you_?

What makes you think that Yoshifumi Nishida
needs your protection from me?

I do appreciate the work Yoshifumi Nishida did.

Nevertheless, mgp does have certain bugs, including, IMNSHO,
some bugs in the mgp file format design.

One of the most severe bugs that
_essentially prevent mgp files from being shared_
is the bug I mentioned: if the PS files are scaled ("zoomed") in
absolute units and not relative to the screen size, then the appearance
of the presentation will depend on the screen resolution.

Do I need to mention that the (justly) reviled monster got it right?

[OTOH, "G" "x" and Control/menu commands just blow the competition away :-]

> And please remember, the developer is not a native speaker of
> English

Neither am I.

> FWIW, all of us on this list can probably identify annoying
> limitations we'd like to see improved in mgp, but you don't see us
> complaining about every little thing.

why?
I _appreciate_ my users telling me about their problems.

> I've written an mgp preprocessor (about 500 lines of Perl) that lets
> you change fonts and styles using a simple markup language that's a
> bit like POD, troff, and HTML. You can also include files (even
> outside the preamble), and display code samples with italicized
> comments.

I think this is the wrong direction.
Why not just use XML for the mgp format?
That would solve most problems I experienced.

Implications:

1. using MathML instead of TeX for formulas.

2. separate parsing from the actual presentation code by using libxml

3. the user can use entities to define variables

4. converting to PS/HTML/PDF &c is just a matter of an XSL stylesheet


"Pretty please, with cream and sugar" (Pulp Fiction :-)

-- 
Sam Steingold (http://www.podval.org/~sds) running RedHat9 GNU/Linux
<http://www.camera.org> <http://www.iris.org.il> <http://www.memri.org/>
<http://www.mideasttruth.com/> <http://www.palestine-central.com/links.html>
My other CAR is a CDR.