You can still leverage the effort though...
Many editors have syntax highlighting files.
If you write a parser that parses some editor's syntax highlighting files and then displays based on that, then you at least don't have to write your own syntax files - you just need the parsing and the display code.
Cheers,
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)