[reportlab-users] RML and PythonPoint ML

[Andy Robinson]

dummy at habmalnefrage.de wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> are there any plans to integrate PythonPoint ML and RML into one harmonized
> XML-Dialog (maybe RML 2.0 ?)
There are always plans for RML 2.0, but no guarantee of how fast it 
comes out; as most people have probably figured out years ago, we
are mostly based on services work.  There has actually been a lot of
progress in the last 3 months; we have a pure unicode branch which 
works, and new tags to make it much easier to do newsletter and 
factsheet layouts as well as flowing documents.  I would very much
ike to produce a preview release before Christmas.


Essentially, RML could have the Pythonpoint-like tags in a couple of 
hours, but we can't make RML Open Source, or even make it very cheap,
without damaging our business model at the moment.  If we could figure
out a way to do a cut-down markup language which did NOT let everyone
build the systems we do without coming to us, but enabled people in
a limited domain like presentations or open source software manuals, 
then I would like to do so.  Right now there is a very good open source
presentation tool in OpenOffice, and it seems there is little point
trying to beat that.  A system to publish docutils or docbook manuals
would seem like a better 'limited domain' to offer. Suggestions are 
welcome.

However, any improvements to the packaging and usability of the open 
source package really do depend on volunteers doing a chunk of it, or
at least doing chunks of documentation and testing, at the moment.

Best Regards,


Andy Robinson