As anyone who reads CGRR knows, I was waiting for the POV3.1 source so
I could work on implementing a plugin architecture to allow easier
creation of new object and texture types.  I had even started working
on it with the 3.02 source code.  Well, it looks like it won't happen
unless the POV-Team wants it to, due to this new paragraph in
POVLEGAL:

>To allow POV-Ray to interface with outside programs, the official 
>versions of POV-Ray include several "hooks" for it to call other 
>tasks.  For example: the generic part of POV-Ray provides operating 
>system shell-out commands. The Windows version has GUI-extension 
>hooks and the ability to replace the text editor. Modification to 
>these hooks or other officially supported interface mechanisms to 
>increase functionality beyond that of the official version IS 
>EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. 

I know why that paragraph was added, and I don't even have a problem
with that reasoning.  But it's a little broad, in that it restricts
things like my plugin hooks that serve only to make POV better and
don't make it easier to subvert.  Since my efforts to contact the POV
team on past occasions have never been fruitful, I'm not gonna bother
trying to get a ruling on my proposed additions.

I guess it's time to start working on that raytracer of my own.  It's
been nice working with all you POV guys, but working under the
ever-tightening constraints of povlegal is getting to be too much of a
pain in the ass.

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