Is there any plans or ongoing work on having makeinfo produce man
pages?
I do not know of any work to go directly from Texinfo to man pages; if
there is, please tell me!
However, I am trying to inspire someone to write a Texinfo to DocBook
converter. DocBook has a docbook-to-man tool that might then do the
job.
Here is my context:
Ideally, people would write all their documentation in Texinfo, which
has always been the prime GNU documentation format. But many people,
including the LDP, use DocBook. I don't want to see useless conflict
over these two quite good formats.
In any event, at the moment, free documentation is distributed in
several different formats, plain text, man pages, HTML, DocBook, and
Texinfo. Of those formats, DocBook and Texinfo are the best.
In order for this format kluge to be successful, we need decent
programs for converting back and forth between DocBook and Texinfo.
A nice side effect is that if we get a a Texinfo to DocBook converter,
we get an indirect Texinfo to man page converter!
Also, while I am near the topic, I should mention two other things I
am trying to do:
* first, to make a list of topics that should have, but currently
lack free manuals. The FSF can then push for their creation,
either by inspiring volunteers, or, in some cases, by hiring
someone.
* second, remind people to create more accessible documentation. I
fear that some writers who read most of their documentation on a
high resolution monitor forget that documentation should be
listenable by a blind person or by someone driving a car, or
readable by someone working remotely over a slow modem or using a
character-only terminal. Documentation should be accessible by
anyone handicapped by personal or situational circumstance. At
present, both DocBook and Texinfo provide for accessibility but
some writers may inadvertently create inaccessible documents, as
so many HTML and LaTeX authors have.
--
Robert J. Chassell [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Rattlesnake Enterprises http://www.rattlesnake.com
