jim said:
>   post actual working programs, along with source code,
>   people can try it themselves and give feedback about
>   whether it actually proved useful or not.

i often post working programs.  but i won't post my source code.

and sometimes, like with my comparison program, i won't post
the program unless/until there is some actual _demand_ for it.

i said i'd post my comparison program if 5 people asked for it.
so far i haven't heard even one request, other than yours, jim,
so i don't see any need to post the program.

***

jim said:
>   Again, post YOUR source code, and working code examples,
>   and then let's talk about it.

well, jim, in the context of posting diffs, i've posted _hundreds_
of examples of the output created by my comparison programs.

they take this form:
>   this line, on the top, came from one file.
>   this line, on the bottom, came from the other file.

***

jim said:
>   You will find that you your tool whatever it is
>   you eventually post someday will also have to
>   deal with these problems, because they are
>   fundamental to the INPUT domain --
>   how two different files match or do not match and why
>   and what you want to do about it.

yeah, that's the exact input-domain that i've been handling
-- as files move from pure o.c.r. output to finished text --
and i have been handling it with complete ease and fluidity.

pgdiff doesn't seem to be able to handle that particular task
with the same ease and fluidity.  and maybe, as you suggest,
it handles some _other_ comparison task in a better way, but
i'm hard-pressed to see what that "other" task might be.

but, like i said, maybe the failing is with me.  as long as _you_
are happy with your tool, that's all that matters, i would think.

***

jim said:
>   I don't actually ignore the things you ask us to try BB,
>   it's just that out of courtesy I don't list here all the
>   PG and DP tools I have tried which really don't work
>   when I try to use them.  I'm happy to list the tools that
>   I do use that more-or-less work for me if anyone really cares.

except in this case i'm not asking for "courtesy", jim.

i'm asking for feedback.  so feel free to give it, _especially_
on the parts that "really don't work when you try to use them."

-bowerbird