Re: EPUB 3.3 spec conformity issues

[Gavin Smith]

On Wed, Aug 21, 2024 at 06:34:34PM +0100, Daniel Cerqueira wrote:
> From https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/#sec-conformance-checking
> 
> ```
> Due to the complexity of this specification and number of technologies
> used in EPUB publications, EPUB creators are advised to use an EPUB
> conformance checker to verify the conformance of their content.
> 
> EPUBCheck is the de facto EPUB conformance checker used by the
> publishing industry and has been updated with each new version of EPUB.
> It is integrated into a number of authoring tools and also available in
> alternative interfaces and other languages (for more information, refer
> to its Apps and Tools page).
> ```
> 
> You guys are going against the "de facto EPUB conformance checker" of
> the EPUB spec.

Yes.  For whatever reason the person writing the program wasn't willing
or able to make it pass.  There were likely good reasons for this.

All changes should be considered on their merits, so while it would
good to be standards compliant, it is not the only desideratum.

> These online stores, need my EPUB file to be in conformance (and they
> rightly use EPUBCheck to test for this conformity). If the EPUB file is
> not in conformance, it won't be published.

This is a valid argument.  I hope we can find a way to support full
EPUB standards compliance in texi2any.

> I am not going to waste my time on discussing such a fundamental issue.

You are also making requests of other people's time to consider and
implement your changes.

> I feel bad for others that will be creating non-conformant EPUB files
> with `texi2any --epub3`. So I won't be recommending texinfo for making
> digital books, anymore.
> 
> You are hurting the whole Free Software movement, by rejecting
> contributions that make a conformant .texi to EPUB file generation.
> 
> Reflect on this action.

The EPUB output mode and texi2any itself only exist because of the work
on unpaid volunteers.  (EPUB was only supported in a Texinfo release
from November 2022.)  You can hardly say they have harmed Free Software
by creating this software.

In general, Free Software will be helped by making texi2any as good
as it can be.  Please consider that there are consequences to your
proposed changes that should be considered, even though they have
some benefits - while they may make it better in some ways, it may
also make it worse.  We do not automatically make changes without thinking
about them.