Are you familiar or experienced with LaTeX? In preparation for the next revision, the VHDL Analysis and Standarisation Group (VASG) decided to migrate the sources of the IEEE Std 1076-2019 Language Reference Manual (LRM) from a closed source binary file based tool (Adobe FrameMaker) to an open source text based solution (LaTeX); together with using a forge (gitlab.com/IEEE-P1076) for coordinating and keeping track of the modifications.

Although many people think that the standards community is driven by vendors, that is a mistake noawadays. The working group consists of volunteers, mostly from the user community. At the same time, many people think they are not skilled enough. That’s another mistake. We need all skills, including users who can say ‘I will use that feature if you make it!’. While we always need experienced VHDL users to participate, currently we also need LaTeX users to help out.

The most immediate task is to migrate existing sources to LaTeX, with minimum to none style/typo fixes; before actual language changes are considered. If you know LaTeX, we need your help! No matter how little or very experienced you are, there is a task for you!

Find the guidelines for joining the workgroup at TWiki > P1076 > Participating. You can also get in touch with some VASG members at gitter.im/vhdl/General.