[OS X TeX] Next generation TeX

[Bob Kerstetter]

On Sep 6, 2004, at 5:50 AM, Jérôme Laurens wrote:

>
> Please, share your ideas.
>

No XML visible on screen as in Keynote and OmniOutliner, both of which 
use XML structure for their file formats.

Fonts as in XeTeX, which is cool and getting cooler.

Data interface, as in XML --> ConTeXt, currently available.

Transparent layered backgrounds, transparent layered foregrounds, 
ornaments, duotone images, wrapping text around images and the like. 
Text rotation for section titles.


Some thoughts about  ConTeXt:

ConTeXt has huge potential to fill some modern publishing requirements. 
It does a lot of the stuff mentioned above. But ConTeXt needs some 
documentation support for beginners. This is not a criticism. The 
ConTeXt development team is very small. We don't need them to drop over 
from exhaustion trying to document all of the details.  As you learn 
things, maybe you can share here:

http://www.contextgarden.net/

I don't know much about the site. Just stumbled on it. But try the 
"What links here" link for examples.


If you have not seen what ConTeXt can do today, you might look at some 
documents from the ConTeXt web site:

http://www.pragma-ade.com/general/manuals/

At least for me, some good manuals for showing what ConTeXt can do are:

style.pdf --- not complete, but shows some need stuff with backgrounds.
details.pdf --- some advanced methods.

For graphics capabilities, MetaPost is integrated into the core of 
ConTeXt.  These manuals show and tell what the pair can do together:

metafun-p.pdf -- MetaFun (print version)
metafun-s.pdf -- MetaFun (screen version)

To try the basics of ConTeXt, see this manual:

mp-cb-en.pdf -- ConTeXt an excursion.



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