Re: Document formatting in Scheme

[Jerzy Karczmarczuk <karczma@info.unicaen.fr>]

Two items.

1. Please, don't reduce TeX to "marking", or "typesetting" operations!
   This is a universal programming macro-language, and a good part of its
   power comes from its dynamics.
   Nowadays there is a strong tendency to *separate* the issue of tagging
   and structuring from procedural goodies (scripting).
    
   In such a way you have the "description languages": VRML, or SVG and other
   XML derivatives, and the manipulation of entities described by the 
   above, using JavaScript etc.

   Squeezing all that in one language (Scheme or not Scheme) is always
   possible, but this will (OK, might) get out of hand very quickly. 

2. There was an attempt to do exactly that, having a Scheme-based system
   which formatted text, produced graphics, animated it, etc. etc., everything
   on the surface of Netscape. It evolved, and then apparently their authors
   lost all interest in trying to convey the idea to the academic community.

   It was called CURL. Well, it still is. Does anybody know it? Some usage
   experience? Anything at all?... I tried a little bit, but I had mixed
   feelings.

   Anyway, for your inspiration, I pass you the address of the main creator and
   of their commercial offspring: 

   http://www.cag.lcs.mit.edu/curl/
   http://www.curl.com/html/

Jerzy Karczmarczuk
Caen, France