> Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2026 21:21:31 +0200 > From: Patrice Dumas <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] > > > > My proposal is to use UTF-8 as encoding independentely of Texinfo input > > > file encoding, with the possibility to set the output encoding with > > > OUTPUT_ENCODING_NAME. > > > > > > What do you think? > > > > I think this is an unusual thing to do, > > This is not unusual. We do the same for LaTeX, and for EPUB > OUTPUT_ENCODING_NAME is even ignored (though this is mandated by > the specification, not really our choice).
That we do it in other cases (which I presume are less popular) doesn't yet justify this one. > > and needs a serious justification. Do we have one? > > This was already discussed in the previous thread, to me there are at > least three reasons > * it is easier for Info reader, in particular for cross-references, which > are problematic when the different manuals do not have the same > encoding. Currently this is an issue with the stand-alone Info > reader > * if UTF-8 becomes the only encoding (or almost), it could simplify > readers, install-info and any software that deals with the Info format I understand why it would be simpler, but we are making an existing feature harder to use, so that's a disadvantage for which we should have a good justification, IMO. > * there is no reason why a user would want a specific encoding, as > interaction with Info is through software, so using one that is > practical and can render any character is a good thing Using characters UTF-8 doesn't support is one (albeit rare) case. Another use case is reading the Info file with a pager on a terminal that cannot show UTF-8, or in general using the Info file in a non-UTF-8 locale, where stuff like Grep might produce mojibake or fail to find non-ASCII text entirely. > > Forcing users to use > > OUTPUT_ENCODING_NAME is a nuisance. > > Again, I fail to see a use case where a user would want a specific > encoding. The Info format cannot be manually edited anyway without > messing up the tag tables, and there are escaping with control > characters that also make manual editing very hazardous. See above. In general, removing features that were supported for a long time is IMO harsh and should be rarely if ever done. But that's me. More generally, you asked for opinions, and I provided one. I hope it's helpful in some way.
