Documentation - which format

[Ben Finney]

Jumping Arne <arnlen at mac.com> writes:

> I'm considering using plain text file for documenting certain things
> (nothing to do with Python) and I'm looking at different "formatting
> systems" ... preferable with a python implementation to render the
> text at least as HTML - preferable also other formats like LaTeX.

Your needs are met amply with reStructuredText. It's still under
active development, and in fact the 'python-odtwriter' package (that's
its name in GNU/Linux, anyway) adds a third useful rendering, ODF Text
(the format used by OpenOffice.org Writer).

I find reStructuredText quite powerful; just about any sensible
document structure I've needed can be implemented, and the result is
still quite readable as plain text. It also helps that there is good
support for it in both Emacs and Vim, with the right plugins.

-- 
 \             "I put contact lenses in my dog's eyes. They had little |
  `\   pictures of cats on them. Then I took one out and he ran around |
_o__)                                   in circles."  -- Steven Wright |
Ben Finney