Proposed table specification (long!)

[Bowerbird at aol.com]

here's another one i thought twice about posting, but
what the heck...

***

ok, first of all, when i referred to 39 implementations,
i wasn't being critical.   how could i criticize any of you
for being off writing your own version of markdown
when i'm off writing my own version of light-markup?

my work _does_ predate that of gruber and swartz, but
i've still continued to do it, because i think my method
is _superior_ for the task at which my method is aimed;
thus i am not willing to concede the race to markdown.

so far be it from me to stab any of you for continuing
to pursue your own entry because you believe it to be
superior to the other contenders.   believe in yourself!

at the same time, though, it's a bit disingenuous to say
that the only differences are your choice of languages.

very few of you agree on edge-cases, and none of you
have explored the entire arena.   that's the reality here.

and that is not a dig, either.   the edge-cases are hard,
and if you try to chart the whole arena, you will likely
lose the simplicity that is one of markdown's big assets.
anyone tempted to move in that direction should look at
asciidoc.   it's very admirable in a way, but it's not simple.
who needs to reinvent .html markup without the brackets?

so, believe me, i understand the conundrum very well...

but still remaining at the same time, let us ask simon if
he thinks there is any desire to find a compromise here.

when it comes to tables, you put people in a catch-22...
it has to be something that can work with existing tools,
and it has to be something that can work with fonts that
are proportional and nonproportional.   surely you are all
smart enough to know that the clauses are contradictory.
the only reason to put people in a double-bind is if you
actively want to stall 'em out, in a passive way.   that's it.

edge-cases are not as clear of a catch-22, but even there,
you all have historic content you prefer not to "break" by
changing your implementation, so you are at an impasse.

but hey, if it makes you feel better, i would be happy to add
that all of this is "only in my own humble opinion", and that
"maybe i'm just not smart enough to see your solution", and
whatever other evasive language i would need to say so as to
protect you from feeling challenged or threatened, because
that's really _not_ my intention.   i have my own fish to fry...

-bowerbird
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