Re: SILE 0.9.0 is released

[Andrew Starks <andrew.starks@...>]

On Monday, September 1, 2014, Simon Cozens <simon@simon-cozens.org> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I have been working on a new typesetting system written from scratch in Lua.
>
>     Being completely written in Lua means that the typesetter itself can be modified in interesting ways and solve problems which are difficult to solve in TeX. The first book typeset entirely in SILE has just been printed, and there is at least one project in progress which is typesetting the Bible (with complex annotations/footnotes/sidenotes/parallels etc.) using SILE.
>
>     Some more details are below.
>
> ## What is SILE?
>
> SILE is a typesetting system. Its job is to produce beautiful printed documents. It’s similar to TeX, but with some ideas borrowed from InDesign, and written with modern technologies in mind.
>
> ## What can I do with it (that I can’t do with TeX)?
>
> SILE allows you to
>
> * Produce complex document layouts using frames.
>
> * Easily extend the typesetting system in a high-level programming language. (Lua)
>
> * Directly process XML to PDF without the use of XSL stylesheets.
>
> * Typeset text on a grid.
>
> ## Getting and installing
>
> SILE can be downloaded from [its home page][1], or directly from [the release page][2].
>
> SILE is written in the Lua programming language, so you will need a Lua installation; it also relies on the Cairo and Pango libraries.
>
> You will then need to run:
>
> * `luarocks install stdlib lgi lpeg luaexpat inspect luaepnf luarepl cassowary`
>
> Once your dependencies are installed, run
>
> * `lua install.lua`
>
> This will place the SILE libraries and executable in a sensible location.
>
> Now try `sile examples/test.sil`.
>
> ## Finding out more
>
> Please read the [full SILE manual][3] for more information about what SILE is and how it can help you.
>
> ## Why is this 0.9.0?
>
> While this release is perfectly functional for typesetting complex documents, SILE has several technical and social goals that need to be accomplished before it can be considered "1.0". See the [roadmap][] for more information.
>
> ## Contact
>
> Please report bugs and send patches and pull requests at the [github repository][4]. For questions, please contact the author, Simon Cozens <simon@simon-cozens.org>.
>
> ## License terms
>
> SILE is distributed under the [MIT licence][5].
>
> [1]: http://www.sile-typesetter.org/
> [2]: https://github.com/simoncozens/sile/releases
> [3]: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simoncozens/sile/master/documentation/sile.pdf
> [4]: https://github.com/simoncozens/sile
> [5]: http://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/
> [roadmap]: https://github.com/simoncozens/sile/blob/master/ROADMAP

This looks very interesting. I'll poke through your links with the following questions in mind:

Render to bitmaps? What does that workflow look like? Vector graphics (something like PGF/ TikZ, also heavily Lua-based)? Thoughts about bridging to / from the CTAN packages world? Thoughts on how it compares to ConTeX (and to a lesser extent LaTeX 3)...

It's been a while since I've immersed myself in that world. I know(?) that text-on-a-grid was a challenge with TeX. I *think* that ConTeX might have achieved something like it, but in a "this is really what you want" sort of way... Time to quit postulating and to start reading!!!

Thanks for the announcement! 

-Andrew