[pdftex] TeX as a composition server?

[ivo welch]

I would suggest that you try out how fast tex can produce your sample
documents.  it is not hard, and more informative than guessing.

from what I can see, as an ordinary end user, TeX can do almost any
font, but it is not seamless.    the luatex vs. xetex vs pdftex
specializations are painful.  really.  every tex should come with only
one version that preloads all system fonts, all latex fonts, and make
it easy to load fonts from a different location.
  \addfontdir{c:\windows-yikes\morefonts\}
  \loadfont{crazyfont}
preferably, tex should work out for itself standard encodings,
metrics, etc.  of course, the fact that it is not so is not really
latex's fault, but the fault of the font mess in the real world.

I would love to find a way to produce epub files from latex or context
files.  yes, typesetting each word as an image does not sound like a
great idea.

besides, it would be good if TUG assumed a more proactive role, and
officially deprecated old aspects of TeX.  time to move into the 21st
century.  time for luatex to become the official standard at some
point.  I know it may break compatibility, but TeX's age is really
beginning to show.  the number of hackers that can still program in
this ancient tongue is not growing.

/iaw

----
Ivo Welch (ivo.welch at brown.edu, ivo.welch at gmail.com)