Full Thrust Format (FTF) - a question

Tim Jones writes:
@:) A Question of the proposed FTF (Full Thrust Format)
@:) 
@:) There seem to be two goals one is to encapsulate system/ship
@:) design information. The other is to hold game state. Are these two
@:) concepts logically compatible in the same file format or should
@:) they be separated[?]

  I think they should be separated.  It might be worthwhile coming up
with standard formats for both but they're not the same thing and I
don't think all the extra information should be required when it's not
needed.  Also I think the game state information does not require a
standard format as much as the ship design information.  It would be
nice to be able to build a ship in one person's program, save it to a
file, and then bring it up in another person's program.  What seems
less useful is to fly a ship around inside an FT simulator and get it
damaged and then move it into another FT simulator, complete with
damage (and position?) information and continue to use it.  What's the
point?

-joachim