Re: New text system implementation

[Nicola Pero]

I'm very excited about having a new text system! :-)

> OpenStep doesn't mention any of the behind-the-scenes text classes, so
> compatibility there is a non-issue. OPENSTEP only mentions
> NSLayoutManager, and my implementation should be almost completely
> compatible with it (for normal horizontal layout, but that's all
> OPENSTEP supported). Apple has added a bunch of methods to
> NSLayoutManager (some reasonable), and has made NSTypesetter and
> NSSimpleHorizontalTypesetter public. Both Apple (and OPENSTEP, but
> that's irrelevant) claim that these classes will be able to handle any
> type of typesettting, but that they're currently limited to horizontal
> text.
> 
> Anyway, following apple (and OPENSTEP, in part) is a bad idea here

Yes.

We should try to provide compatibility for applications - NSTextView and
similarly often used parts should be perfectly compatible ... but we don't
care about compatibility of the internal details (which Apple will/might
probably change often anyway), where we should instead try to get them
done in the best way for us (studying the Apple incomplete documentation
is important, but mostly useful to learn 'how they did it').

Nobody uses the internal details from applications anyway. :-)

I would be more worried that we can add easily support for new languages /
scripts / writing directions / layout algorithms ... that is, that the
system is extensible from our own point of view.  But that, regardless of
strict Apple compatibility.