[XeTeX] XeTeX, "Options for all fonts", and the decimal comma

[Philip TAYLOR]

mskala at ansuz.sooke.bc.ca wrote:

> I think TeX in general always uses "." as the decimal separator, so
> for XeTeX to accept "," would be a drastic innovation and would
> break scripts written for other engines.

I'm sorry, Mathew, but on this one occasion you are wrong.
TeX accepts both the decimal comma and the decimal point
interchangeably in all constructs in which a decimal fraction
is permitted; it was therefore a surprise to me to discover
that there were some places in which XeTeX did not accept
the decimal comma, but as that was clearly not forseen as
a constraint when Jonathan devised the extended font syntax,
the omission of support for it at that point is understandable
if regrettable.

Philip Taylor