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Date: Sun, 09 Jul 1995 20:08:00 -0300 (BST)
From: Jonathan Fine <J.Fine@PMMS.CAM.AC.UK>
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Dear LaTeX3 List                                        9 June 1995

There has been some discussion recently on this list, regarding my
TeX macros for processing SGML documents.  Appended is an SGML
document (the text of my talk at the Bridewell Portable Documents
meeting earlier this year) from which a protype version of my
software typeset the slides.  (Backslash is used as a mark-up
suppression character.  SGML allows such to be declared.)

Since then I have found that I can also program short reference
delimiters and omitted end tags.

So far I have not read an objection that I had not already considered
while planning this project.

For financial reasons I am unable to attend TUG 95.  However, Alan
Hoenig has kindly agreed to present a paper in my absence.  If you
have any questions please email them to me (and send a copy to Alan),
by Monday 17 July if possible.

with best regards
Jonathan Fine

Mailing Address:
203 Coldhams Lane, Cambirdge, CB1 3HY, England

Disclaimer:  Any claims made here should not be considered as implied
terms for any software that may be offered for sale.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
<title-page title =
"FORMATTING / &SGML / MANUSCRIPTS /
 - or - /
MUCH ADO / ABOUT /NOTHING"
>

<par> UKTUG and BCS-EPSG meeting </>

<ol>
<li> (c) Copyright 1995 </>
<li> Jonathan Fine </>
<li> 203 Coldhams Lane </>
<li> Cambridge </>
<li> CB1 3HY </>
</ol>

</title-page>

<page title="Spaces between words">
<quote author="Artur Schnabel" dates = "1885--1951" >
The notes I handle no better than many pianists.  But the pauses
between the notes --- ah, that is where the art resides.
</quote>
<par>
Basic to quality are the spaces between words, the breaking of text
into lines, and the breaking of lines into pages.
</par>
<par>
Another basic is the space separating vertically stacked elements.
</par>
<par>
Designers understand such things.
</par>
<par>
When the spacing between words or elements is wrong, there is no
remedy to make the result good.
</par>
</page>

<page title="Who Owns What?">
<par>
The words belong to the author.
</par>

<par>
The spaces between the words belong to the formatter (which
should be person and program working in harmony).
</par>

<par>
Each participant needs to respect the others.
</par>

<par>
Punctuation is a battlefield.  It is neither word nor space, but
shares qualities with both.  Consider:
</par>

<bl>
<li> Rules of style. </>
<li> Quote marks versus quote font. </>
<li> Depends on language. </>
<li> Interaction between space, punctuation and change of font. </>
</bl>

</page>

<page title="Manuscript Problems" >
<par>
Authors are not yet always perfect.
Just because it parse without error, that doesn't mean it is without
error.
</par>
<par>
Should the messages
</par>
<lv>
\<mess>Hello world!\</>
\<mess> Hello world! \</>
\<mess> Hello  world ! \</>
</lv>
<par>
be formatted identically?  And how should
</par>
<lv>
one \<bold> two \</>
buckle \<bold>my\</> shoe
three\<bold>four\</>
close\<bold> the \</>door
</lv>
<par>
be formatted?  Is it the author, parser or formatter who fixes such
problems?
</par>
</page>

<page title="What is &TeX the program?" >
<par>
Between 1978 and 1982 the eminent Professor Donald Knuth of
Stanford University wrote a very high quality typesetting program
called &TeX;.  Its source code is published as a book.
</par>
<par>
Low cost (or even free) versions are available for most machines, and
they run identically.  &TeX is batch not &WYSIWYG, and is programmable
via macros.
</par>
<par>
Sometimes &TeX can mean the entire system of fonts, macros and other
software --- and sometimes it means an input file syntax.
</par>
<par>
&LaTeX is a popular &TeX macro package with its own input file
syntax.
</par>
</page>

<page title="What is &simsim?">
<par>
&simsim is a &TeX macro package which understands &SGML;.  It is a
platform upon which style files for formatting &SGML manuscripts can
be developed.
</par>

<par>
&simsim will run on PCs, Macintosh, Sun, &UNIX, &VMS and any other
machine which supports &TeX such as Acorn, Amiga, Alpha, and Atari.
&simsim is truly portable software.
</par>

<par>
&simsim is the modern Arabic form of the Akkadian word for what we
call sesame.  Some words are ancient beyond our knowledge. They
express our common human heritage.
</par>

<par>
&simsim has a magic power to remove obstacles and open doors.
</par>
</page>

<page title="The Flavour of &simsim">
<par>
The &SGML declarations
</par>
<lv>
\<!ELEMENT par ANY>
\<!ATTLIST par
        font (rm|bf|it) rm >
</lv>
<par>
together with the code
</par>
<lv>
def (par)  // links to \<par>
{
  paragraph
  {
    // parameters go here
  }
    (par|font)  // attribute
}

def (par*rm)  // name token
// ... etc
</lv>
<par>
tell &simsim what to do.
</par>
</page>

<page title="Five Important Questions" >
<qa q="When can I get &simsim?">
I'm working on it!  Hope for the first test release within months.
This depends on clients' non-&SGML requirements.  Any takers?
</qa>
<qa q="Can &simsim do tables and math?" >
Yes.  &simsim can be made to do anything &TeX can do.
</qa>
<qa q="Does &simsim implement all of &SGML?" >
No.  For markup minimization, validation etc., use with a parser.
</qa>
<qa q="Is &simsim compatible with &LaTeX?">
Is &LaTeX compatible with &SGML?
</qa>
<qa q="What will it cost?">
&simsim has been five years in the making
</qa>
</page>