marcello said:
>   Lets mercifully overlook the fact that you have
>   stolen my XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"stolen"?  this material is in the public domain.


>   you did not take the `raw' Alice from gutenberg.org
>   as basis for your zml file

of course not.  that file doesn't have styled text.

you went and created a version that identified
the text in italics, but didn't share it with people.
now it will be shared.

but surely you don't think you're the only person
in the whole world who has styled that text, do you?


>   but you took the TXT file which was
>   generated from a PGTEI master by the PGTEI converter ...

you don't want to admit the point,
so there's little use in restating it,
but the point is that, given the
dirt-simple rules of z.m.l., plain-text
is fully capable of expressing the
structure that is necessary to transform
this text into a very-high-powered e-book.

since this is a relatively straightforward book,
with few complications, that's to be expected.

but as time goes on, i will also share examples
of books that are much more complicated too.


>   you still have just posted two files.
>   You have not demonstrated that the one file was
>   algorithmically derived from the other. To do this
>   you would have to post the source code (or at least
>   a working executable) of your zml converter for us to see.

i won't be posting any source-code, so don't hold your breath.
but if anyone has any difficulty seeing how the plain-text file
can be analyzed to "algorithmically derive" its .html brother,
do please feel free to ask me, and i will 'splain it to you promptly.

***

now, marcello, i really gave you some calm and friendly advice
when i told you that your best course of action is to be quiet...

i am going to methodically show heavy markup is unnecessary
to maintain the project gutenberg library of e-texts, so you can
yelp like a little girl when i do it, to try your best to interrupt me,
or you can sit back and learn something instead. take your pick...

-bowerbird