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Subject: Re: Updated openformula spec posted!


So far all comments about the latest openformula draft's syntax
have been favorable. Andreas J. Guelzow did spot a typo (thanks! fixed!).
Jody Goldberg said, "I like the $$ prefix for names, that's a nice disambiguator" -
that makes me happy!

I intend to tell the TC next Monday "please take a look at the syntax".
There are still a few discussion items, but it's time to get more eyes, so
next Monday I intend to ask the OpenDocument TC as a whole to take a look.
I've added test cases for the syntax section, which have the same value as
they do in the rest of the document - they make it easy to test, AND help
eliminate ambiguities or misunderstandings of the text.

People have asked when this spec will be ready.  I think we can
complete this by October this year (2006).  In any case it's worth striving
for.  The first draft of this spec was released on 2005-02-26, so this has
been around for some time.  Yes, it's much harder to gain
consensus between so many parties and to think centuries into
the future, instead of just documenting the API of one particular version
of one particular product. But we can do this.
If it's not ready, it's not ready, and we won't release.
We _could_ release just the "Small" version approximately now, but it's not
clear to me that we should do so.  In particular, there's the risk that
by not looking at the harder issues, we'd unintentionally specify something
we should not.

All those who "own" a section: Please send in your next version by
Wednesday 7PM EST, for another merge.  In the test case formulas,
remember to:
* Begin with '='
* Use TRUE() not TRUE
* Use straight quotes (not curling); that may not be obvious on your screen,
   and the test generator will silently fix that, but it really should be straight.
* Include test cases for the "edge cases" - Error generators, min or max
   values, fractions/0/negative numbers, etc.

--- David A. Wheeler


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