It seems to me self-evident that the CRM should be managed as an information resource (ie as a structured XML file) instead of a word-processor presentational document. And if its going to be in XML, I'd agree that TEI is the obvious format to choose since it is already used for literate programming, and has a lot of the necessary elements and semantic constructs, and tools, all in space. It is not insignificant that the TEI is aligned with the CRM in that its interested in digital cultural heritage, and that the TEI is consciously interested in the relationship between its world and the CRMs.
However, I would like to hear more from Martin or whoever on how the CRM is authored at the moment. What is the master copy, how is it managed, what are the tools used and/or needed by the editors? is the appearance of being a large Word document actually right? As the author/maintainer of much of the TEI processing software (including OxGarage which Jim mentioned) and the chief designer of its current meta language, I can fairly lay claim to being someone who understands the implications :-} Nothing would make me happier [1] than helping transform the CRM master into a beautiful TEI XML file, if there is sufficient interest. [1] thats not actually true. I have a long list. Sebastian Rahtz Chief Data Architect University of Oxford IT Services
