GNU a2ps - Tasks: task #16517, Version 5: "a2pdf", from...
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task #16517: Version 5: "a2pdf", from scratch
Submitter: | Reuben Thomas <rrt> | ||
Submitted: | Wed 13 Mar 2024 06:39:07 PM UTC | ||
Should Start On: | Wed 13 Mar 2024 12:00:00 AM UTC | Should be Finished on: | Wed 13 Mar 2024 12:00:00 AM UTC |
Category: | None | Priority: | 5 - Normal |
Status: | None | Privacy: | Public |
Assigned to: | None | Percent Complete: | 0% |
Open/Closed: | Open | Effort: | 0.00 |
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Corresponding source code
Having looked in detail at what should change in a major update to a2ps, I have concluded it will be easier to write a new program from scratch.
What needs to change functionality-wise:
The implications for the code:
What stays the same:
There's little point retaining the existing code base for this, as most of the specialised code can be removed, and the above functionality exists almost entirely in 3rd-party packages. What remains is quicker to reimplement in a more suitable language than C. I suggest doing it in Python.
What's required:
Overall, I feel this plan retains the spirit of a2ps while adapting to the landscape of the mid-2020s, other than in one important regard: it remains focussed on pages and printing, while many users read electronic, non-paginated content. That is fine, as a2ps's main purpose is to provide paginated material, and users who don't want that won't need it; typically, they can just directly open the files that a2ps would process.