Re: getting out of LaTeX

Peter T. Daniels wrote:

Tak To wrote:

Lee Sau Dan wrote:


"Tak" == Tak To <takto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:


Peter> AND HIS PROPOSED SOLUTION WAS TO HAVE THE SECRETARY RETYPE
Peter> ALL OF THE 276 EXAMPLES IN SOME OTHER WAY THAT WOULDN'T
Peter> HAVE BREAKS WITHIN THEM. I SAID NEVER MIND, I CAN DELETE
Peter> THE PARAGRAPH BREAKS MANUALLY.
>> Something that can be easily accomplished by a <100 line shell
>> script on TEXT files (LaTeX manuscripts are just text files
>> with markups).

Tak> I doubt it. A general Tex/LaTex parser in <100 line of shell
Tak> script??

I mean getting rid of the so called double-paragraph breaks (actually
newlines) in *text* files. A few lines of Perl can do it.

Are you assuming that "double paragraph break" in the _output_
must appear in a certain form in the _input_? For all we know,
the original LaTex document author might be using zillions of
different macros to generate double-paragraph breaks in different
circumstances. How can a few lines of Perl handle that?

It is precisely Tex's flexibility that makes Tex the only
tool that can handle Tex source.

And that's supposed to be an _advantage_?

No. (I was arguing against LSD.)

It's a very clever marketing device. If Sony was the only manufacturer
of Beta-format blank cassettes, then there was a reason for it to
continue to promote the Beta format. George Eastman didn't make money
selling cameras, but selling film.

I said only Tex can handle Tex _source_ files adequately -- it does
not follow that it is difficult to exchange data with Tex. Other
programs can generate Tex source files; and Tex can generate other
formats of files to be exported.

Note that in a similar way, only MS Word can handle .doc files
adequately. The situation is more like file systems on hard disks.
Most file systems are proprietary, but it does not stop different
operating systems from from exchanging data.

Tak
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