On 2/1/06, Bowerbird@aol.com <Bowerbird@aol.com> wrote:
bastien said:
Can we see the code?
no.
We'll just have to take your word for how good these "routines" are then.
Can we use/test/improve it?
i'll release an app sooner or later that you can use.
or, if you prefer, you can take the shortcut, and buy my source code. the price is in the 6 figures. i can't afford to give away something that valuable. if you can, i suggest you buy it and give it away...
You're kidding right ? Your code might be fantastic but you're deluding yourself if you think anyone will pay you six figures for a text processing app.
what i am doing is suggesting you make these changes for _yourselves_ and for _your_readers_, simply because consistency in the e-texts leads to greater functionality... my experience is that this greater functionality would benefit you with increased efficiency in the preparation of the e-texts, and benefit your readers in greater total usability of the e-texts.
This I agree with. Although with an all-volunteer project its hard to define and enforce the format. Tools like gutcheck are a start along this road.
it is also the case that i _am_ putting examples online. i've already pointed to some, and more will come soon.
http://snowy.arsc.alaska.edu/bowerbird/alice01/alice01/alice01.zml
http://snowy.arsc.alaska.edu/bowerbird/alice01/alice01/alice01.pdf
http://snowy.arsc.alaska.edu/bowerbird/alice01/alice01/alice01b.pdf
I assume the pdf there is generated from the zml ? via what mechanism ? a single conversion step or via somthing like latex ? Any reason to not go with one of the existing plain-text markup languages that already exist and have existing conversion tools ? reST, asciidoc and others. Is there a format description for z.m.l ? Do you have existing tools/parsers for z.m.l with freely available code ? Or is that another 6 figures ? :)
from these plain-text .zml "masters" will emerge automatic .html versions -- from which a plethora of other formats will be able to be generated -- and automatic creation of .pdf versions according to user specifications...
and how is this different from what gutenmark does ? Apart from hopefully fewer errors in the html or latex output ?
other sweetnesses might follow too, like ipod versions and p.s.p. versions. and last but not least, the z.m.l. viewer-app will create a kick-ass powerful high-functionality electronic-book experience Surely this is competely orthogonal to the choice of markup language.
using these .zml "masters". enough so that you'll wonder why you ever thought you needed "markup".
uh - just because you use whitespace instead of <h> to indicate headings doesn't mean its not markup. The very fact that you are pushing for consistent format for conversion means that it *is* markup - oh and the fact that you've named it Zen *markup* language :) Ian