Re: word processor document format: what parts?

[Mark Galassi <rosalia cygnus com>]

    Olof> Also I think we are talking too much about DTDs and specific
    Olof> style languages. I think we have agreed that the native file
    Olof> format should be an application of XML. We don't have to sit
    Olof> here making up 'tags' though. We do need someone with enough
    Olof> experience to define what kind of structural elements the
    Olof> users might need (headers, sections, paragraphs, etc) and
    Olof> then to write a DTD shouldn't be that hard (or maybe we can
    Olof> find an existing one - DocBook).

I think you missed a point: we need to have several DTDs, since they
are all good for different things.  DocBook is very hard-core, and
made for documenting software.  You don't want to use that to write a
letter or memo.  In fact, we should have an option that if the user
chooses "memo" from the "styles" menu it puts up a (modal!) dialog
saying "if you have to write memos for your job, you should change
jobs".

    Olof> Personally I think that most of the work will be in writing
    Olof> the rendering engine. Just taking a look at what CSS2 allows
    Olof> it seems to be an enormous effort and then we have DSSSL,
    Olof> which should be the goal. Well, somehow everything else
    Olof> looks kinda trivial imo.

You are right.