Re: A Roadmap for TexInfo without Info

[Per Bothner]

On 01/26/2017 11:24 PM, Gavin Smith wrote:

> I like the sidebar and the fact that it doesn't flicker or disappear
> when you load a new page. Apart from that, I don't know what this is
> supposed to demonstrate. I tried some info commands like "m" and "i"
> but they didn't do anything. I take it they haven't been done yet.

Well, I did say what it is supposed to demonstrate, but perhaps
a bit later in the message than I should have:

"The prototype loads each page on-demand in an iframe.
It should be a good basis for features such as whole-document search
and keyboard-based navigation (as discussed in the roadmap),
though neither of those are actually implemented yet.  (They could
be a Google Summer of Code project.)"

The roadmap goes into detail of what the prototype does and doesn't do.
The "Prototype of a browser interface" section discusses what it does
(and why it does it); "Unimplemented features of the browser interface"
what it doesn't (and how to do it).

"Keyboard navigation" is the latter section, and mentioned as part of a
possible Google Summer of Code Project.

What is interesting about the prototype (besides the sidebar) is that
it *enables* (but does not implement) features like whole-document search.
This is difficult and/or expensive with a normal multiple-page implementation.
The prototype implementation can load the entire document *if needed*:
Normally, it only loads pages as you visit them, but previously-loaded
pages are still in the "frameset" and accessible without network access.
To do whole-document search you do need to load all the pages, but no
page is loaded more than once, even if you do many searches, and do lots
of back-and-forth navigation.

It's the best of both worlds: The benefits of --no-split (e.g. efficient
search of the entire document; no reload as you navigate back and forth)
with the benefits of --split (fast startup; don't download pages you don't 
need).
--
        --Per Bothner
address@hidden   http://per.bothner.com/