User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.2 (darwin)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Message-ID:  <m1iot55mmi.fsf@SEAM.local.i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me>
Date:         Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:02:29 -0500
Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project
              <LATEX-L@LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE>
From: Sean Allred <seallred@SMCM.EDU>
Subject: Feasibility of GUIs for authors and class designers in LaTeX3
To: LATEX-L@LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE
Precedence: list
Envelope-To: <rainer.schoepf@GMX.NET>
Status: R

Hello everybody,

I recently asked a question on TeX.SX about potential graphical
interfaces for document authors/designers with the new layering system
of LaTeX3, but Joseph pointed out that it was probably more suited for
this list.  I reproduce it below:

> With the separation of document authorship, design, and
> implementation, is a graphical tool for the end-user within reach?
>
> LyX tries to do this today, but LaTeX2e is not well-designed for such
> an approach.  In essence, this is what LaTeX3 tries to fix: authors
> must not be concerned with how their document looks in contest with
> the actual content of their work.  While LaTeX2e did successfully
> separate markup from implementation, it could not cleanly separate the
> *design* from its implementation (and everyone and their mother has a
> word to say about design---this isn't going to change).  The layers of
> LaTeX3 are designed to separate the implementation/coding from the
> design from the content.  The amazing work so far on LaTeX3 is proof
> enough that many people believe this separation is possible---myself
> included.
> 
> Given this ideal of separation, will it be feasible for there to be
> environments in which to author and design LaTeX documents in a way
> that will put the power of LaTeX and `expl3` in high demand?

So there you have it---given that the entire LaTeX3 system (looking also
at `xtemplate`) seems to be going toward an system that has entirely
different interfaces for more well-defined roles, has a truly graphical
front-end (*not* a front-end such as LyX) been brought up?

The `expl3` underworkings of the system must still be used directly as
text---it doesn't make sense any other way---but there should be no
reason an author should see this.  The simplicity of `xtemplate`s
interface would allow for easy parsing, and graphical interfaces to
objects/templates might be feasible.

I think that this, if done properly and with a learning curve that is
more like a learning *flat-line*, will put forth a lot of demand for
LaTeX systems and `expl3` programmers, who in turn will create more and
more modules that are available for use over CTAN in some standardized
format (a la TDS).

Thanks for your time,
Sean

-- 
Sean