Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!clyde.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!news.cs.indiana.edu!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!samsung!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!convex!rosenkra From: rosenkra@convex.com (William Rosencranz) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Tex/LaTeX & *.sty files.. Summary: possible apology and more Message-ID: <1991Feb06.015345.751@convex.com> Date: 6 Feb 91 01:53:45 GMT References: <38673@cup.portal.com> <28507@cs.yale.edu> <1991Feb04.221451.854@convex.com> Sender: news@convex.com (news access account) Organization: Convex Computer Corporation; Richardson, TX Lines: 61 Nntp-Posting-Host: convex1.convex.com oh, BTW: if i sounded too testy over software which is essentially free, i apologise. nobody, including ME :-), should ever really complain about something they don't have to pay for. consider my rantings as more of a critique, a suggestion for improvement (which i really think TeX docs needs), etc. the last thing i wanted to do was imply that the people who made it possible have done a bad job. they did an excellent job in bringing such a complex system to "our" world. i just wish they would have written a few words for those of us who know nothing (or remember nothing, in my case). but then i am often as guilty as the next in this regard. maybe we need a "standard practices" manifesto for posting codes of this ilk. i would not even mind writing it, so long as we don't get into a religious battle over details. how about this for a start: files in manifest (all upper case :-): README describe what the program does, what the pieces do, etc (so user/installer sees the "big picture") INSTALL *precise* installation instructions, and the assumed execution environment (cli, desktop, etc). don;t make the user guess. and include any non-standard environmental issues (like the termcap file cannont have CR/LF line termination, just LF, which GNU emacs port required at one time, and which i do not ever recall seeing explained, for example) BUGS we NEVER make misteaks (air the dirty laundry, explain limitations, etc) CHANGES change history or at least what's new in this post XXX.MAN nroff source for a manpage (for nroff) XXX.
ascii-formatted manpage (for humans, section 1 for commands, 2 for sys calls, 3 for libs, etc, a la BSD, if possible) and post the readme or at least an except before the uuencoded archive so recipients know whether they need or want this post. this goes for things archived but not posted as well. most software posted has much of this info, this just tends to make it consistent. and yes, manpages are a unix-ism, but also a fairly common method in this group for documenting things. note that i just posted the latest nroff as well as a man(1) and a pager for man (manpager). and yes, i would hope this would be in english :-). if we go thru the trouble of getting something to run, and share it, we might as well spend an extra hour to make it easier for people to install and use. [sure, why not] back to TeX... and i DO have both of the books mentioned, though they generally say nothing about installing (obviously) as i recall. and i would not expect them to say anything about installing, except perhaps as an example. i will look at them to see if they do. one of these days, when i can find a spare 5-10MB, i, too, will install TeX. not right now, however. there, i feel better now... :-) -bill rosenkra@convex.com -- Bill Rosenkranz |UUCP: {uunet,texsun}!convex!c1yankee!rosenkra Convex Computer Corp. |ARPA: rosenkra%c1yankee@convex.com