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Date:         Tue, 14 Oct 1997 11:27:06 +0100
From: Robin Fairbairns <Robin.Fairbairns@CL.CAM.AC.UK>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project
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To: Multiple recipients of list LATEX-L
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Subject:      Re: LaTeX journal and publisher macros
Status: R

Sebastian Rahtz writes, quoting Boris Veytsman:

>  > Actually BibTeX has a very subtle algorithm of dealing with author names;
>  > I think it is possible to reimplement it in TeX for journal styles.
>
> While I (sort of) admire BibTeX's system for second-guessing surnames,
> I have always found it confusing as an author, and as a processor of
> other peoples .bib files. [...]

I wholeheartedly agree with Sebastian.  In addition, I feel that the
BibTeX algorithm is seriously slanted towards European languages (more
precisely, languages whose impact was felt in the USA prints at the
time BibTeX was being designed).  I suspect it's inadequate to `world-
wide publishing' -- is Oren listening to this list? -- or can someone
else comment on whether the eagerly-awaited BibTeX v1.0 is going to
extend the algorithm anywhere?

Hans Aberg suggested:

>   This can be sorted out by ideas of object orientation: Class A uses local
> names A/foo, and class B uses local names B/foo; thus they do not clash.

And then shows how such a technique might be used.  An interesting
idea, but I can't convince myself that it's the `right' way forward.

He asked:

>   I have done programming in this style. -- But I am not sure if TeX
> getting slow by long names.

I don't think that's an important issue at this stage -- and by the
time a LaTeX3 is released we will (or ought to) be even less concerned
about CPU cycles...

Marcel Oliver said:

> Is the APS involved in this discussion?  Not so long ago they
> used RevTeX which apparently has compatibility problems
> with LaTeX (I don't have any personal experience).  I
> remember hearing that they were working on an update.

I would hope that the APS _is_ at least monitoring the discussion, but
if they are, I would suggest they're keeping remarkably quiet.
However, being as how it's now more than two years since I was first
told that a RevTeX2e was imminent, I've rather given up waiting for
its actual appearance...  Maybe they believe that the revtex.cls that
Patrick Daly mentioned _is_ RevTeX2e?

Robin