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Message-ID:  <62169.61704.qm@web82003.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Date:         Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:02:23 -0800
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From: Paul Thompson <patjah@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Key points of LaTex3
To: LATEX-L@LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE
Precedence: list
Status: R

I vote against \documenttype

When switching from 2.09 to 2e, it was very confusing to have the two initiation strings so similar. It was hard to remember which was which, and I still sometimes need to look them up.  If possible, it would be nice to have something quite different:

\startdoc
\docinit
\initdocument

Anything which sounds like the start of a document, but which is different from 2e, would be good.

 Paul Thompson


Division of Biostatistics
Washington University School of Medicine
St Louis, MO 63108
314-747-3793

25 Signal Hill Blvd
Belleville, IL   62223-1650
618-394-1246


----- Original Message ----
From: William F Hammond <hammond@CSC.ALBANY.EDU>
To: LATEX-L@LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 5:11:15 PM
Subject: Re: Key points of LaTex3

Joseph Wright <joseph.wright@MORNINGSTAR2.CO.UK> writes:

> I'd imagine that LaTeX3 documents will start with something other than
> \documentclass (let's call it \documenttype, for arguments sake).  Given
> the likely size of a LaTeX3 kernel, essentially the entire 2e kernel
> could also be included without making it all that much bigger.  If the
> first line of the file is \documenttype, the 2e stuff is never used.  On
> the other hand, if \documentclass is found, the new kernel "bails out",
> runs the current 2e code and the file is processed as a 2e document.

I'd like to suggest that \documenttype, consistent with usage in the
gellmu project, be reserved for a document under an abstract
LaTeX-like markup instance that is equivalent to a document instance
under an SGML (or XML) document type.

I think something like \Documentclass (upper case) would make more
sense for new regime documents written in LaTeX the typesetting language

Cheers.

                                    -- Bill