Re: breaking down the browser (was Re: Web browser: stuck with Opera-9.62)

[tlaronde%polynum.com@localhost]

On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 11:23:55AM -0600, David Young wrote:
> 
> You could produce a browser for UNIX by composing simple programs, but
> you'd have to set out from the beginning with a lot of discipline.
> [...] 
> 
> repeat(repeat(fetch | layout) | render ; read user input)

And perhaps someday someone will remember that we have at least already
a layout engine able to render text and maths: TeX. That we have the
fonts. Etc.

For someone wanting to "play" with the idea, one could start by
translating simple HTML into TeX macros (designed for the purpose), and
displaying the TeX formatted result... page by page, with the
ability to have finally something printable.

I would be surprised if the result, in terms of size, would not be an
order of magnitude smaller than the equivalent (I speak only of HTML
and MathML; one can add subset of SVG with MetaPost...), and the visual
result an order of magnitude better.

Who said that ignoring what had been made in the Unix (and I add Plan9)
world will reinvent it poorly?

-- 
        Thierry Laronde <tlaronde +AT+ polynum +dot+ com>
                      http://www.kergis.com/
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