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Date: Thu, 29 Jun 1995 05:46:10 +1000
From: Richard Walker <Richard.Walker@CS.ANU.EDU.AU>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@VM.URZ.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE>
To: Multiple recipients of list LATEX-L <LATEX-L@VM.URZ.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE>
Subject: SGML & LaTeX3
Status: R

In response to the previous posts, I've just read through the ltx3info
file and I found it very interesting.  It does *not* suggest that the
input format will be SGML.  On the contrary, it states (I quote):
 
 It will provide a syntax that allows highly automated translation
 from popular \SGML{} DTDs into \LaTeX{} document classes (these
 will be provided as standard with the new version).
 
 The syntax of the new \LaTeX{} user-interface will, for example,
 support the \SGML{} concepts of `entity', `attribute' and `short
 reference' in such a way that these can be directly linked to the
 corresponding  \SGML{} features.
 
This suggests to me that it will be good old LaTeX as before (or close
to it), but with some added commands to support the SGML concepts in a
clean way.  And further:
 
 It will provide an enhanced user-interface that allows expression of
 the typesetting requirements from a large range of subject areas. Some
 examples are listed here.
 
(Sounds like a sales pitch?)
 
 \begin{itemize}
 \item The requirements of technical documentation (\eg offset layout,\\
   change bars, etc).
 \item The requirements of academic publishing in the humanities\\
   (critical text editions, etc).
 \item The requirements of structural formulas in chemistry.
 \item Advanced use of the mathematical-typesetting features of \TeX{}.
 \item The integration of graphical features, such as shading, within text.
 \end{itemize}
 
(A critical text edition of the source of LaTeX would be an
interesting project :-)
It seems to me that you can't do this in pure SGML.  If you could, you
wouldn't need LaTeX, would you?
I even wonder if all of the aims can be achieved in TeX:
 
  Error handling will be improved by adding
  a more effective, interactive help system.
 
Interactive help system?  This sounds almost as if a graphical user
interface is planned - or at least that you will have to run it under
Emacs :-P
And this:
 
  It will provide access to arbitrary fonts from any family (such as
  the \PS{} and TrueType fonts) including a wide range of fonts for
  multi-lingual documents and the specialist glyphs required by
  documents in various technical and academic areas.
 
This suggests that LaTeX3 will be based on Omega (or a successor), not
TeX.  This would seem to be a little dangerous (particularly since
Omega doesn't work yet - and it's not clear when it will).
 
 The resulting new \LaTeX{} will, like the present version,
 be usable with any standard
 \TeX{} system and so will be freely available on a wide range
 of platforms.
 
I don't believe it.  Either it won't use TeX or it won't live up to
all these promises.  (Or the team will prove me wrong and it will run
like a dog.)
 
I haven't been on NTS-L for ages, so perhaps someone from NTS can
suggest how that project relates to this proposed LaTeX3?
 
Richard (enjoying summer (at last) in Germany!).
--
Richard Walker                            richard@cs.anu.edu.au
Department of Computer Science
The Australian National University
Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia             Fax:  +61 6 249 0010