Hi luigi,
On Sat, 03 Apr 2010 08:41:47 -0600, luigi scarso
As a computer engineer, one of the most import point of luatex-ConTeXMKIV is the possibility offered by Lua of an easy binding with external C/C++ shared library. This adds another dimension to literate programming, and in some circumstances eliminates the separation between documentation and code. For example, you can write an article in mkiv about Computational Commutative Algebra and the article *is* the program because is processed by the binding of luatex to a comp.comm.alg library Or you can write a text about electrical net and, if you have a binding to a spice library, the text is also the program that resolve the net and show the result (in a graphical manner also, thank to mplib). I'm pretty sure that there are others examples in mechanical sectors, financial sectors, combinatorial area and so on, maybe logic too. CPU power and disk storage are not a problem: 8cores-8GigaByte-1Tera computer has already reach the mass-market and context mkiv and luatex are well designed.
Now that may be TOO advanced for this book :-) though we want to have a few examples illustrating advanced possibilities Best wishes Idris -- Professor Idris Samawi Hamid, Editor-in-Chief International Journal of Shi`i Studies Department of Philosophy Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523