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author | Norbert Preining <norbert@preining.info> | 2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900 |
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committer | Norbert Preining <norbert@preining.info> | 2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900 |
commit | e0c6872cf40896c7be36b11dcc744620f10adf1d (patch) | |
tree | 60335e10d2f4354b0674ec22d7b53f0f8abee672 /support/ltx2x/NOSUPPORT |
Initial commit
Diffstat (limited to 'support/ltx2x/NOSUPPORT')
-rw-r--r-- | support/ltx2x/NOSUPPORT | 58 |
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diff --git a/support/ltx2x/NOSUPPORT b/support/ltx2x/NOSUPPORT new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..df95634ae6 --- /dev/null +++ b/support/ltx2x/NOSUPPORT @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +file: NOSUPPORT (for ltx2x) + + When I wrote ltx2x it was in a different century and for a different +employer. + + At that time I was involved in a project for storing a large series +of SGML tagged documents in a database. The intention was that queries +could be made against the database, couched in terms of the +SGML DTD, to retrieve (portions of) the documents. Some retrievals would +be for just reading, others would be by the series authors to paste text +into new documents in the series. There were no restrictions on how the +documents could be produced, except that they had to be in plain ASCII; +some authors used LaTeX, others used proprietry word processing systems, +and others a plain text editor. Camera ready copies of the documents +were also required for publication. + + I wrote ltx2x to provide an automated means of converting LaTeX tagged +documents to SGML tagged documents. Someone else wrote a converter from +SGML to LaTeX as it was determined that LaTeX was the best means of +generating high quality camera ready copies. This all actually worked! + + At the time I wrote ltx2x I think that there was no other similar +tool available that could provide a configurable conversion process --- +I at least configured ltx2x to operate like the detex program, to convert +to HTML, and to SGML (this was in the days before XML). The major problem +with the architecture of ltx2x was that it did its own parsing of the +LaTeX source, and the only robust LaTeX parser is TeX. A new kind of LaTeX +macro in a document required extending the ltx2x source code and recompiling. + + I am now with another employer and as far as I know the SGML database +idea has lapsed. Therefore I have no work-related imperitive to maintain +ltx2x. Also, except for conversion of simple LaTeX into HTML, I no longer +use it myself. + + Eitan Gurari's TeX4ht system is also a configurable converter and +uses TeX as the parser, so eliminating any need to keep recompiling +the basis system. I have effectively retired my use of ltx2x in favour +of TeX4ht. The homepage for TeX4ht is at: +http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~gurari/TeX4ht + + The bottom line is that I will no longer provide even the minimal support +for ltx2x that I have done for the past three years or so. I regret having +to say this but feel it is probably best for any current or future users +to know what the situation is. + + If anyone wishes to take over support or development of ltx2x I will +be very pleased. The majority of the code is in the public domain and the +remainder is available under the LaTeX Project Public License, so anyone can +make any changes they like. Just let me know if you want to do anything so +I have a record of what might happen. + +Peter Wilson (peter.r.wilson@boeing.com) +2001/07/01 + + + + + |