Metaspec: The DpANS3R Common Lisp Spec in S-Expr and HTML Format
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I started this project back in 2015, to translate the TeX original specification into an easily parsed format (s-doc), and to create an HTML rendering of that format as a proof of concept.The project is homed here: https://codeberg.org/dlowe/metaspectre/Differences from the Hyperspec (from the README): - Most importantly, it is free to modify and distribute. - The original TeX is very hard to parse and use for things other than generating a printed copy. The Hyperspec is an HTML rendering which can be parsed as HTML, but loses a lot of information. The Metaspec has an easily parsed intermediate form that can be used for all kinds of purposes, like converting into lookups. - Math equations are rendered using MathML. - Includes the acknowledgements and appendix sections. - Uses progressively enhanced Javascript to provide search and light/dark theme switching. - Incorporates over 145 patches for content, using corrections accumulated over the years, and documented in the errata page. - Includes TeX comments, which can contain interesting historical data. - Includes links and identifiers to bibliographical references.
HN · launched Jun 24, 2026 · 17 upvotes (top 28%) · 0 views
Niche: programming languages and interpreters · 161 launches, 2 in the last 7 days ▼ -75% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Dev tools
- Developer
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
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More like this: all 161 launches in programming languages and interpreters →
Could you build this?
Partial While displaying HTML is trivial, building a complete, high-fidelity TeX parser to faithfully convert the massive ANSI Common Lisp draft specification into custom S-expressions and hyperlinked documentation requires extensive specialized domain knowledge of TeX macros and the Common Lisp standard.
What it would actually take: The project requires a specialized parsing pipeline (such as custom TeX macro expanders and S-expression AST generators) capable of interpreting idiosyncratic TeX source files written across decades of ANSI standardization work. The hard part is handling subtle TeX typesetting macros, syntax oddities, and cross-references without manual rewrite errors across thousands of pages of technical specifications. It requires deep expertise in TeX parsing algorithms and the nuances of the ANSI Common Lisp specification.
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Competitors
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Attention rank: #28 of 98 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 235 days after the earliest competitor.
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