[lltx] bidi package extended for LuaLaTeX

Khaled Hosny khaledhosny at eglug.org
Fri Apr 2 07:55:03 CEST 2010


On Fri, Apr 02, 2010 at 11:37:45AM +1100, Vafa Khalighi wrote:
> Thanks. Just to answer your insulting email:
> 
> 1- Tex macro programming is not a disadvantage, it actually is an art to do
> macro programming.

Any one who wrote or maintained a reasonably complex tex macro code
knows it is pain to write, pain to understand and pain to maintain, the
main idea behind luatex is to give tex a sane programming language which
we all know tex mcros isn't.

> 2- bidi is not overloaded by TeX macros.

It is, more than 7000 lines of tex macro to implement such basic thing
as reversing document layout is a bit overload to me, and one still
needs to mark rtl or ltr runs explicitly.

> 3- bidi does not copy codes from other packages verbatim.

It does, or what all those *-bidi.def files, with thousands of lines
redefining internal macros of other packages then?

> It is always good to have respect for others and their work.

I were not aware that criticizing the shortcomings of tex macros (that
everyone knows and admit) and old engines is not showing respect for
others work. If bidi, xetex and programming in tex was so good, I would
have saved my self the trouble and just used xetex.


-- 
 Khaled Hosny
 Arabic localiser and member of Arabeyes.org team
 Free font developer


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