Re: RFC: require librsvg to implement SVG image support

[Aaron Hill]

On 2023-01-14 7:45 am, Jonas Hahnfeld via Discussions on LilyPond 
development wrote:
> I strongly believe that we must figure this out *now*, before deciding
> to go that route. Relatedly, I also think it was a mistake to ask the
> users at this stage - they cannot assess the technical difficulties of
> making either solution happen.

Yes and no.  My apologies for posting disagreement here.

It is not really relevant whether users can or cannot assess technical 
difficulties.  Some of us who use LilyPond do have software engineering 
experience, so we might be well-equipped (albeit perhaps not 
well-motivated) to consider technical matters.

But the important thing is that users *are* able to express what they 
need from LilyPond.  Jean's post on the list was merely an ask for what 
vector format(s) could be useful.  (I think SVG "won", if it matters.)  
It then falls to the development team to make this request a reality 
within the limits of their abilities and time and factoring in any 
technical roadblocks.

Sure, if it was not even remotely possible to support, say, SVG as an 
image format, one could argue it would have been inappropriate to offer 
it as an option in a poll.  You don't ask the customer if they like 
chocolate or vanilla ice cream if you know full well that you only have 
strawberry in the kitchen.  But both SVG and PDF were superficially 
plausible formats.  Yes, this discussion around Rust and CMake and what 
not shows that things are perhaps more complicated than one would like; 
but I would hardly say Jean overstepped any responsibility for the poll.

And even more so clearly stated, we are all humans and we all make 
mistakes.  Let's say that SVG is not a possible image format, for 
whatever reason, yet it was the format that people seemed to want.  If 
we cannot make that a reality, we just ask for forgiveness.  A direct 
"mea culpa" to let folks know that we have hit a wall that cannot be 
surmounted, and we will have to wait to support the format at a later 
time if it would ever be possible.


-- Aaron Hill