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It seems to me that LaTeX is primarily used as academic gatekeeping. This is one step better, but why a new DSL versus a library to build your layout representation from a common language?
For example, I often find lots of hyphens and justified text hard to read, so I try to get latex to not use justified text and to never hyphenate.
However, latex seems to be really bad when you want to do unconventional stuff like that, having to use hackey workarounds which often cause errors all over the place.
It seems to me that LaTeX is primarily used as academic gatekeeping. This is one step better, but why a new DSL versus a library to build your layout representation from a common language?
It might be difficult to believe given the unfriendly failure modes characteristic of a macroexpander and an abundance of dusty corners, but LaTeX really is very convenient for a proficient user when the problem fits (e.g. not a magazine).
Looks very cool, but LaTeX still feels superior for non-mathematical documents like a resumé, right?
I feel similarly about LaTeX and Vim. I like them. They are interesting. I appreciate the history around their development and use. But I just cannot convince myself they are worth learning.
It seems to me that LaTeX is primarily used as academic gatekeeping. This is one step better, but why a new DSL versus a library to build your layout representation from a common language?
Because a library in a programming language would be madly inconvenient? I can't see something like this being pleasant to use: document( paragraph("blah blah blah"), math("sum_(i=1)^n i = (n (n+1))/2"), paragraph("foo bar") ) Also, I'd imagine being a DSL and having a dedicated compiler is what let's Typst have such great incremental compilation (it's actually instant).
[1] https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/
Ok. Most STEM students find themselves at one point diving deeper into LaTeX than the actual report subject they are writing. But developing your own replacement to LaTeX is whole new level. Nice one :-)
i suspect it does for basic usecases but will still be ultra painful for advanced ones
There's also Sile: https://sile-typesetter.org/ LaTeX (Well, LuaTeX) powers my E-ink newspaper ( https://imgur.com/a/NoTr8XX ), but I've been curious to use it as a vehicle to try out some of these alternatives and see if they can put together a non-trivial layout.
[1] https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/