[XeTeX] XeTeX 1.0 - request for comments

[Jonathan Kew]

Folks -

I've been wondering, now that XeTeX has been available and fairly  
stable for a while, whether it's about time to release a "version  
1.0", and stop claiming that this is experimental, pre-release  
software. However, before taking such a step, I'd appreciate hearing  
from users if there are any niggling little issues that really should  
be tidied up first. So, this is a "Call for Bugs" (or *minor* missing  
features).... if there's something you'd like me to consider fixing/ 
changing before releasing a version called "XeTeX 1.0", please let me  
know.

Note that this does *not* constitute a commitment to deal with any  
and all such issues! I might decide they're too hard or too  
unimportant, or just that I don't have the time or expertise. But  
I'll at least consider them.

Note also that I don't intend "version 1.0" to suggest an end to  
ongoing development; it just seems like perhaps the program is mature  
enough to pass from pre-release to "real release" status. I'll  
continue to work on it, fixing bugs and adding features as time and  
ability permit. And I'm working on making the source code more  
accessible and portable, in the hope that others will contribute.

There are a few issues I know of already, so I'll mention those and  
save you the trouble. Most are things that I'm already pretty sure  
*won't* be done right now:

a. Internal links in PDFs don't work in Preview or TeXShop, only in  
Adobe Reader (various people have noticed this). This is a limitation  
of the Apple PDF view, and would take some (maybe considerable)  
effort to work around; I don't intend to attempt this at the moment.

b. Lack of .vf support in the output driver. Not a high priority for  
me, but I realize it further limits the selection of math fonts you  
can use. The other major use for .vf's relates to supporting various  
8-bit font encodings, which should be a non-issue in the Unicode  
world; if you need to use all those traditional TeX fonts, then just  
use a traditional TeX!

c. Bug with the "hot rectangle" you get when using images in  
hyperlinks (reported recently by Bruno); I have just fixed this, I  
think, but the fix is not yet released (it's not in 0.96).

d. Intermittent problems with the use of /B and /I modifiers to  
automatically find bold and italic versions of a font. I'd really  
like to solve this, if I can figure out what's going on.

e. Failure to work with automatic font activation systems. I think I  
know how to fix this, but have not yet tried to actually do so. Not  
sure whether this is important enough to work on before 1.0.

f. Proper individual character metrics when using native OS X fonts.  
This is harder than it sounds, as TeX wants to know height, depth,  
and italic correction for each character, and this information is not  
present in fonts, only in .tfm's. And it can't be derived accurately  
from the glyph outlines, either.

g. True Unicode math support (has been discussed on the list at  
times). This is a major undertaking, requiring co-ordinated work at  
the engine, font, and macro levels. I'd love for someone who really  
understands math typesetting and fonts and all that to decide to  
tackle it -- I don't have time (or a strong motivating need). It  
won't happen for version 1.0, anyhow.

h. Integration with pdfTeX. Another major undertaking -- not going to  
happen in a hurry, though it would be great to achieve this some day.

i. Documentation. Ah yes -- there really should be some, shouldn't  
there. Any volunteers? :)

OK, that's what comes to mind for now. I'd be glad to hear what those  
who have been using (or trying to use) XeTeX think -- is it close to  
ready for a "version 1.0" milestone? What needs to be fixed/adjusted  
before then, in your opinion?

JK