[ncc-services-wg] Pre-PDP discussion: "All RIPE documents should be plain text"

Hi,

>>It was just one example. Another would be ripe-566, which has a couple
>> of tables. Sure, you can create an ASCII art tables, but doing so and at
>> the same time everything below 72 characters of width might not be
>> easiest thing in the world. A future document might want to include some
>> other figures or other external content which cannot be (easily)
>> represented in plain text.
>
>The various TeX flavors can generate PDF/A. I understand that this
>would add complexity for people who need to create PDFs. Which may be
>a benefit overall as this would result in a stronger incentive to use
>plain text. All this while still allowing easily diffed collaboration
>on text files in all cases.

*if* plain text becomes the authoritative format, the RIPE NCC can then
use whatever tools to create whatever formats of policy documents that
they deem useful.

No need to get dirty and bring TeX into the discussion ;)

Alex Le Heux
Kobo Inc