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Re: Bibliography & ToC placement
From: |
Thomas Steffen |
Subject: |
Re: Bibliography & ToC placement |
Date: |
21 Apr 1998 12:45:44 +0200 |
>>>>> "Paul" == Paul Prescod <address@hidden> writes:
Paul> "My experience with document interchange led me to classify
Paul> document formats using the essential distinction that some
Paul> are "programmable" and some are not.
actually, there is
1 - programmable or algorithmic formats (like tex)
2 - describtive or declarative formats (like SGML)
3 - object oriented formats (Scribe has been mentioned, but i don't
know it)
declarative or algorithmic is very much a question of viewpoint, and
not of the format itself.
Paul> The reason that this distinction is essential with respect
Paul> to document interchange is that extracting information from
Paul> documents in "programmable" document formats is equivalent
Paul> to the halting problem. That is, it is arbitrarily difficult
Paul> and cannot be automated in a general fashion.
which is wrong. converting a algorithmic format to a declarative is
basically the same as processing it. so it is possible, but not
necessarily easy. which is exactly because algorithmic formats can solve
arbitrarily complex problems.
Paul> For example, I conjecture that it is impossible to write a
Paul> program that will extract the third word from a TeX
Paul> document.
TeX can.
Paul> So the simple lexical scan of the TeX source would find a word
Paul> that is not third word of the document when printed.
obviously.
Paul> This may seem like an obscure and unimportant problem, but I
Paul> assure you that the problem of converting TeX tables to
Paul> FrameMaker MIF is just as unsolvable.
because TeX offers basically unlimited features, FrameMaker only a
specified range.
and one day we will have the third generation of text formats (oo),
and problems will at least double.
source: some blue book from cambridge accademic press, unfortunately i
have forgotten both name and auther. maybe i can dig it out of our
OPAC...
Thomas
--
OOO, OOOOOOO, double the fun -
OO, OO, O, O, have a bilingual relationship
O, O, O,
O, O-O, O, O, not to be forwarded
O, O, O, ______
OO, OO, O, O, |
OOO, OOOOOOO, |homas <address@hidden>
- Re: Bibliography & ToC placement,
Thomas Steffen <=