Removing D embedded in HTML feature

[Bastiaan Veelo]

Walter Bright wrote:
> Scott suggested this be removed for D 2.0. Is anyone at all using it, or 
> have plans to use it, or can make a good case for keeping it?
> 
> http://www.digitalmars.com/d/2.0/html.html

I won't miss it.

It is funny though, that literate programming made me get to know about 
D, I think it was sometime in 2002. I was writing a report on a project 
done in C++, and I was using LaTeX and Norman Ramsey's literate 
programming package "noweb" for it. It supports  filtering the code 
chunks into pretty printed text, and I thought "Cool, I want my code to 
be syntax highlighted like I see it in XEmacs (without the mistakes), 
and I want an index of definitions." That is where the project was about 
to derail of course, as instead of writing the report I found myself 
writing a C++ parser in flex/bison. When I hit the wall I considered 
switching to ANTLR, and even hacking g++. And during one of my Google 
searches on "parsing C++" I landed on the Digital Mars site... There I 
got the fundamental difficulties of parsing C++ confirmed, and the first 
reason why I liked D from the start is that it is designed with parsing 
in mind. What a clever idea!

Then I stopped the C++ parsing endeavour. The report was handed in in 
colour, be it with trivial highlighting.

I have played around with the HTML feature of D once, but it did not 
appeal to me. In contrast to noweb, the code chunks become unreadable if 
you want to mark it up. Maybe one day I get around to writing a noweb 
filter for D. Then the code chunks will be readable as plain code, and 
formatted any way you like.

On a side-side note: I haven't used XEmacs in a long time (and noweb) 
but it has a nice noweb mode that highlights LaTeX and code chunks in 
their respective way. I don't think any of the modern editors can do this.

Bye!
Bastiaan.