> > > >---- Original Message ---- >From: [email protected] >To: [email protected] >Subject: Re: Please brainstorm: Word-processor compatible with >version control >Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:20:26 -0600 > >>On 02/10/2009 12:59 PM, Hendrik Boom wrote: >>> I'd like a word processor compatible with version control systems >>> (hereafter abbreviated VCS) Having been duly impressed for >decades now >>> how useful VCSs are for programming, I'd like to use them for >writing as >>> well. >>> >>> I use monotone as my VCS. but I don't suppose my trials are unique >to >>> monotone. >>> >>> There are a few other requirements, too, such as ability to export >to >>> file formats often demanded by publishers (such as pdf, Word, and >plain >>> ASCII text) >> >>AbiWord's XML is probably close to what you want. >> >>> Here are more details. Most of the problems is that the file >formats >>> inflate tiny changes to huge changes. >>> >>> (1) When I arrive at two versions of a document (maybe one has >spelling >>> error corrected, and the other is rewritten from a different POV), >I'd >>> like to be able to merge the changes. Now often there are >one-word >>> changes that appear on the same line of text. Conventional merge >tools >>> just register this as a conflict, even though it's trivial to >resolve. >>> THis is because VCS's tend to be line-oriented. >> >>A user might want to, for example, change the margins, or convert >>from single-column to multi-column. That's why >>single-line-per-paragraph is so useful. >> >>> (2) Word processors tend to insert an overkill of layout >information. >>> Often a simple change of layout policy causes every line of the >text to >>> be changed, leaving proper merging hopeless. In the past, Abiword > >>> suffered form this. I have no idea if it still does. Precise >layout >>> information belongs in a style sheet, not in the main text. I >thought >>> this was understood since the days of SGML. >> >>I think it still does. But a line in a paragraph, so maybe it's >>better now? >> >>> (3) Word processors that leave text in a human-readable form >(properly >>> word-wrapped, for example) cause insertion of a single character >(such as >>> a spelling change) to affect the layout of entire paragraphs. >>> >>> (4) Word processors that use a binary file format are hopelessly >>> inaccessible to a VCS. Word and WordPerfect are examples of this. > So is >>> the ODT file format used by Open Office. >> >>ODT is zipped XML. Otherwise, they'd be *huge*. >> >>> I'm currently using an ad-hoc notation in UTF-8, edited in emacs, >>> formatted by homebrew code. I'm careful never to change the >source >>> layout significantly while editing, but even so I have trouble >merging >>> multiple independent changes within a line. Breaking it all up >into a >>> sequence of one-word lines is technically feasible,m and will work >with >>> most VCS's, but is a holeless way to edit. >>> >>> I suspect I'll be able to hack up something to export to *some* of >the >>> more conventional file-formats. I'm alreday producing Postscript >my >>> printer will take, and a weird mark-up that cuts and pastes well >into >>> Livejournal. >>> >>> Isn't there something that already does most of what I really >need? >> >>I'd take another look at AbiWord. And maybe file a couple of >>specific bugs against it regarding integration with VCS. >> >>-- >>Ron Johnson, Jr. >>Jefferson LA USA >> >>Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification >> There was an old (and perhaps updated) UNIX package called writer's work bench, written by Lorinda Cherry I believe Larry >> >>-- >>To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [email protected] >>with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [email protected] >ebian.org >> >> >>
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