>>>>> "Ingolf" == Ingolf Steinbach <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Hi, Thomas Esser wrote:
>> So by removing "initex", we have removed a common source of
>> problems.
> A Bourne shell script (named "initex") which prints out the
> explanation why there is no real initex (and then exit with
> non-zero status) could IMO reduce the chance of introducing
> another problem (i.e. people searching in vain for initex).
Hi,
the idea itself is quite good. But should there be such a script for
each program which has been removed or renamed? Though only DEK
mentioned INITEX in the TeXbook, people might expect the same for
metafont, pdftex, pdfetex, etex, cyrtex, cyrtexinfo, csplain,
pdfcsplain, cont-en, cont-... Run "fmtutil -e" to see how many
formats are supported.
There cannot be such a file for mp because it had been renamed to
mpost to avoid a name clash with an other program.
It does not happen very often that people run into this problem.
What would you do if have read the TeXbook and then notice that INITEX
is missing?
I would expect that it is mentioned in the "SEE ALSO" of tex's
manpage. But you don't have to read so much. From tex(1):
______________________________________________________________
TEX(1)
NAME
tex, virtex, initex - text formatting and typesetting
SYNOPSIS
tex [options] [& format ] [ file | \ commands ]
[...]
-ini Start in INI mode, which is used to dump formats. The INI mode
can be used for typesetting, but no format is preloaded, and
basic initializations like setting catcodes may be required.
[...]
______________________________________________________________
So if you have a GNU based system which is set up properly (the latter
is quite unlikely), the command
apropos initex
should point you to the man page. Reading the documentation which
comes with a particular TeX distribution is also a good choice.
If we really want to have such scripts, maybe people ask for macro
packages like
foiltex.sty:
________________________________________________________________
\typeout{foiltex had been removed from teTeX for legal reasons.}
\input x
________________________________________________________________
I *really* hope that nobody regards this as beeing useful.
Your idea is good and reasonable, but it might become an endless
story and only very, very few people profit from it.
Regards,
Reinhard
--
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D-30167 Hannover mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Microsoft isn't the answer. Microsoft is the question, and the answer is NO.
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