[tug-summer-of-code] A couple of project proposals

[Hans Hagen]

Mojca Miklavec wrote:

> Preparing a XeTeX-compatible "plain" LuaTeX format to make luatex more
> LaTeX-friendly (so that either one could use
> \font\a="Hoefler:mapping=tex-text;+onum" or so that at least fontspec
> and polyglossia would work almost out-of-the-box) could be a nice
> excercise, but it needs quite some cooperation and also a proper
> mentor.

when i have most of the the otf machinery working i will make a plain 
like thing (mainly because then we can test with plain); internally i 
already support that xetex syntax but never use it in context (makes no 
sense there); for that to happen i first need to split code in smaller 
portions

concerning the engines: xetex is the faster modern engine, with built in 
  opentype support, using libraries (and thereby also being dependent on 
third parties) while luatex is the opened up engine that deliberately 
uses no such libraries and that will not change: the concept of luatex 
will stay as it is (i.e. no merge of any kind)

for the future i see the three engines hapilly go alongside: pdftex 
being the fast compatible one (needed for the big body of documents 
already out there), xetex for convenient usage but with limitations, and 
luatex with lots of potential for macro packages to extend their 
repertoire of features; the differences in aproach are rather 
fundamental and macro packages need quite different code to deal with it 
as well

each will have its usage and userbase (possible with some overlap) and 
the simple fact that each focuses on its audience etc etc has made (and 
will make) them succesfull

Hans

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