3 ms·

Even if LaTeX3 brought some nice things to the TeX world, TeX programming is every year lagging more and more behind modern programming languages and practices.

by ubavic 4y ago

Even if LaTeX3 brought some nice things to the TeX world, TeX programming is every year lagging more and more behind modern programming languages and practices. SILE has a long way to go before it can compete with math-heavy publications made with TeX, but I think it is already a good solution for typesetting technical documentation or prose fiction.

Finnucane 4y ago
For prose fiction, I don't see much here that is going to drive people away from Indesign. Designers and typesetters aren't really interested in doing that kind of work in a system that would require generating new output for every correction. Even relatively simple tasks like balancing columns in a spread would become a pain.
- alerque 4y ago
  The whole point is you shouldn't have to manually balance columns in a spread. Obviously a round trip from source to output to fiddle with balancing every spread would be tedious. But if you can say "For this content I want to use spread X defined as this shape and balanced in this way" and then be able to fiddle with your content and have your spread always work, then where is the tedium? That's what SILE is supposed to do. Many publisher's workflows involve a round of content editing bouncing a word file back and forth, then a period where a typesetter uses InDesign or similar to lay it all out, then it goes to press. You can't keep copy-editing after the designer takes over. With a workflow using source documents in Markdown and typesetting handled by SILE I am able to allow copy-edits to book manuscripts up until minutes before going to press.
0cf8612b2e1e 4y ago
Better tools and formats have existed for sometime, the problem remains adoption. Part of the issue with mentioning a flawed tool is the supporters who come out of the woodwork to insist that the sharp edges are required, and anything more user friendly would needlessly curtail the power they require. Personally, I have given up on Latex and write documents in pandoc markdown which I can then convert to pdf through the intermediary latex.

by ubavic 4y ago

Finnucane 4y ago

For prose fiction, I don't see much here that is going to drive people away from Indesign. Designers and typesetters aren't really interested in doing that kind of work in a system that would require generating new output for every correction. Even relatively simple tasks like balancing columns in a spread would become a pain.

alerque 4y ago
The whole point is you shouldn't have to manually balance columns in a spread. Obviously a round trip from source to output to fiddle with balancing every spread would be tedious. But if you can say "For this content I want to use spread X defined as this shape and balanced in this way" and then be able to fiddle with your content and have your spread always work, then where is the tedium? That's what SILE is supposed to do. Many publisher's workflows involve a round of content editing bouncing a word file back and forth, then a period where a typesetter uses InDesign or similar to lay it all out, then it goes to press. You can't keep copy-editing after the designer takes over. With a workflow using source documents in Markdown and typesetting handled by SILE I am able to allow copy-edits to book manuscripts up until minutes before going to press.

0cf8612b2e1e 4y ago

Better tools and formats have existed for sometime, the problem remains adoption. Part of the issue with mentioning a flawed tool is the supporters who come out of the woodwork to insist that the sharp edges are required, and anything more user friendly would needlessly curtail the power they require. Personally, I have given up on Latex and write documents in pandoc markdown which I can then convert to pdf through the intermediary latex.