Re: MetaHTML and the GCC web site

[Gerald Pfeifer <gerald at pfeifer dot com>]

Hi FX,

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007, François-Xavier Coudert wrote:
> how was metahtml compiled for the current webserver (the error I see
> is certainly not target-specific), and should we use a tool that has
> been deceased for 8 years to produce our website?

let me provide a bit of historical background:

Before starting to use MetaHTML for the GCC web site, I had carefully 
researched all (well, okay, many ;-) options I could find back then.

Obvious requirements during my search included that the software needed
to be free, portable, easy to use, the usual laundry list, except that 
performance was hardly an issue.  In addition, GNU software was preferred 
and one very specific feature we were looking for was that anyone editing 
our web pages should be able to just use plain HTML, and whatever 
processing we did was then based on that HTML input.  And it was this
last requirement that hardly any other tool offered!

It is fair to say that we've actually been happy users of MetaHTML,
but indeed you stumbled over the one big problem with it:  It is a
master piece of not how to run a free software project.

Over several attempts, years ago, I brought this to the attention of RMS, 
but that sadly lead to nothing.  A true pity.  Had this project received 
new maintainership only a few years ago, I predict it would have worked 
out again.

As others noted, MetaHTML can be made to work on a current GNU/Linux 
system, and while this probably will not be our long term strategy, I
am trying to brush up my scripts/patches that will allow for this more
easily and then share this with you and this list.

In parallel, I agree that we should investigate possible alternatives,
and I'm very grateful for your help with this!

Gerald