Re: [help-texinfo] IXIN 1.7 available

[Thien-Thi Nguyen]

() address@hidden (Karl Berry)
() Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:18:51 GMT

   1) maybe the name should be IXIN rather than SXML?  I thought SXML is
   just a generic name for XML written in sexprs.  Or am I wrong?  (For
   the same reason, we should not have named the "TexinfoXML" output
   just "XML", but it's too late now.  Let's not compound the mistake.)

   2) Should there be an --ixin option, like all the other output formats?

   3) Should we add this to the documentation and make it an official
   part of 5.0, or do you (both) think that is still premature?  I don't
   mean that every detail has to be nailed down and put in stone, but
   rather that the basic idea of "IXIN output" be mentioned.

The IXIN format is all text, and includes (non-SXML) sexps, SXML, and
base64-encoded blocks (for blobs).  I think the format is not yet
mature, but should be mentioned in the docs, anyway, for now.  (I'm
happy to contribute the spec from "The IXIN Chronicles" to Texinfo,
btw.)

The utility mkixin converts SXML to IXIN.  I think once the format
freezes, we have the option of adding mkixin to the Texinfo code base,
or reimplementing it (in Perl, say), in order to avoid introducing
dependecy on Guile (which carries its own set of portability concerns).

I doubt the SXML output alone is useful, but that's based on my view of
the XML output not being useful.  To be fair, however, w/o SXML there
would be no IXIN, and who knows, maybe someone will step up and design
something better.

As for 5.0...  Realistically, the IXIN format needs another couple
months (the other 90%) to nail down the "runtime tweakable" side of
things, audit for upward-compatability, and more than anything, run
through lots of tests aka real-world documents.  I would hate to delay
the release more than necessary; 5.0 w/o IXIN is fine w/ me.

-- 
Thien-Thi Nguyen ..................................... GPG key: 4C807502
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