Re: ASCII art

Let me try a concrete proposal:

- All document editors MUST submit XML format to the RFC editor. 
(Mostly) semantic markup makes a lot more sense than presentation 
mark-up as it makes it possible to translate the format into a variety 
of output formats. This format is the long-term archival format, as it 
seems highly unlikely that the world will suddenly forget how to 
interpret XML in any timeframe we care about. The schema/DTD is 
documented in ASCII, so if an alien invaders take over the (IETF) world, 
they can bootstrap, as long as they can figure out English.
- Authors can use Word (or other formats), but must use a Word style 
that makes automatic translation to the 2629 XML possible. I don't know 
enough about Word internals to know if Word styles are sufficient to 
make this possible today, but with a bit of semantic mark-up (e.g., 
surround the abstract with tags), this shouldn't be too hard.
- The XML version is made available to the public and is the 
authoritative version, in addition to the traditional ASCII version. The 
XML version can then be used to generate more readable and printable 
versions using XSLT or other tools. I suspect generating a PDF version 
wouldn't be hard, either. These presentation formats can then evolve as 
people care to write tools.
- The XML format also allows the use of UTF-8, for use in examples, not 
as normative text. The translation to ASCII can automatically insert U+ 
or other appropriate elements.
- SVG or a subset thereof is authorized for illustrative (non-normative) 
diagrams. The XML schema already supports the ability to link 
alternative renditions of graphics, so this requires minimal effort.
I think this would actually put us ahead of standards organizations that 
use presentation-oriented document formats that are hard to transform 
into alternative renditions now or in the future. None of the above 
requires a major change in process, rules or procedures. The only 
'tools' effort would be to create a suitable DOC template. Given that 
converting existing late-stage drafts may be onerous, this can be phased 
in over time.
Henning

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