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authorNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2021-05-27 03:01:40 +0000
committerNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2021-05-27 03:01:40 +0000
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-Date: 14 March 91 Message No: 036
-
-To: TeX implementors and distributors
-
-From: Barbara Beeton
-
-Subject: Messages from DEK, part 1
-
-
-The latest package of marked-up messages from DEK was postmarked
-15 January 92. It contained 10 checks, including two for actual bugs.
-Unfortunately, other matters have conspired to delay my forwarding of
-all this material, and I apologize. (I don't suppose anyone out there
-would like to be a TUGboat production assistant? Or has lots of
-experience in moving from one office to another with less shelf space
-without losing track of anything? Didn't think so, somehow.)
-
-As some of you may know, DEK was awarded an honorary doctorate by the
-Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm last November. At that time,
-some bug reports and other questions were apparently given to him in
-person, and changes have been delayed as explained in this note which
-accompanied the package:
-
- Barbara: Many thanks for this compilation! I will not however be
- ready to update the sources until February because I mistakenly
- put some things recd in Sweden into the wrong box and they are
- currently being shipped via _sea_ _mail_.
- I have gone through this material but will hold off updating the
- master sources until I've gotten through some other things sent
- to me in Stockholm from Poland, some of which may be extremely
- important
-
-I have just finished checking the /tex area at labrea. There are no new
-files in the errata directory, and as these are usually the first to be
-installed, I assume that the main update has not yet been made.
-
-
-########################################################################
-
-Contents:
- [ part 1 ]
- >>> responses to DEK Sep 26 package
- >>> DEK's alpha test, TeX 3.14a
- >>> TeXbook errata
- >>> inconsistent ligature/kerning behavior
- >>> inconsistent expansion of \string, etc.; \newlinechar
- >>> \halign + box assignment within displays
- >>> positive/negative xn_over_d, tex.web section 107
- >>> DRF's "remaining comments"
- >>> suggestion -- additional tracing facilities for \if*
- >>> DEK's "local" change files, not at labrea
- [ part 2 ]
- >>> glue_ratio overflow
- >>> \TeX logo; some problems with \loop
- >>> cedilla accent macro in plain.tex
- >>> missing \mathsurround in plain.tex
- >>> \arrowvert code, plain.tex
- >>> MF -- bugs or features? (also, some ACP errata)
- >>> MFbook errata
- >>> WEAVE -- Peter Breitenlohner
- >>> WEAVE -- Brian {Hamilton Kelly}
- [ sent separately ]
- >>> Barry Smith, |history| variable in TeX.WEB
- >>> Chris Rowley, two items: \fontdimen2 and marks
-
-************************************************************************
-
->>> responses to DEK Sep 26 package
-
-Date: Mon, 23 Dec 91 13:23:58 +0100
-From: Eberhard Mattes <mattes@azu.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de>
-Subject: Backenfisch, tex.web
-
-> [ dek: should i have used `backenfisch' instead? ]
-
-Maybe deleting `compound' on p. 96 would be better since I have found
-no word with ck hyphenated k-k *because* it is a compound word.
-(Of course there are words containing tt hyphenated tt-t *because*
-they are compound words.)
-
- [ dek:
- point well taken ... but I wasn't serious and i _did_ delete
- `compound' in September as he requested
- ]
- ---
-
-In tex.web, there's a @^system dependencies@> missing for the line
- [ dek: \S798 ]
-
-if n>max_quarterword then confusion("256 spans"); {this can happen, but won't}
- ^^^
- This is system-dependent.
- [ dek: $2.56 ]
-
-Yours,
- Eberhard Mattes (mattes@azu.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de)
-
-<<< end responses to DEK Sep 26 package
-
-************************************************************************
-
->>> DEK's alpha test, TeX 3.14a
-
-Date: Tue 24 Sep 91 11:22:21-EST
-From: bbeeton <BNB@MATH.AMS.COM>
-To: cet1%phx.cam.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk,
- tex%uk.ac.cranfield.rmcs@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk, pzf5hz@ruipc1e.Bitnet
-Subject: message from dek -- tex alpha version 3.14a
-
-chris, brian, and frank,
-you are hereby deputized to follow dek's instructions and test out
-the new version. [ ... ]
-i won't forward this information to anyone else [for at least two
-weeks], and you probably should be discreet about it too. thanks.
-cheers. -- bb
- --------------------
-Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 12:50:54 -0700
-Subject: note from Don
-
- [ copy of message from dek ]
- -------
-Date: Thu, 26 SEP 91 22:31:01 BST
-From: TEX@rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk
-Reply-to: Brian {Hamilton Kelly} <TeX@rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk>
-Subject: RE: message from dek -- tex alpha version 3.14a
-
-In message <685725741.0.BNB@MATH.AMS.COM>
-of Tue 24 Sep 91 11:22:21-EST, bbeeton <BNB@com.AMS.MATH> wrote:
-
-> chris, brian, and frank,
-> you are hereby deputized to follow dek's instructions ...
-> ... (i will take care of the envelope of "comments and checks"
- ^
- (Would I spell this cheques? :-)
-> as soon as i can after i get back to providence.)
-
-Well, I've collected the new files (I *love* the README!!), modified my
-change file to accommodate the new banner and a few of the
-|slow_print|s, and built 3.14a. It's great!! Fixes my problem with
-hyphenation vs. boundary ligatures perfectly. And what an elegant
-solution: I'd expected the fix to be complicated, but it just requires
-one simple global and the odd preservation of context.
-
-> Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 12:50:54 -0700
-> Subject: note from Don
->
-> Meanwhile, there's some more "immediate" news. I've prepared an
-> alpha-test version of TeX, called version 3.14a. Before I release
-> it officially, I'd like CET1 and Brian Hamilton-Kelly and maybe
-> Frank Mittelbach [and anybody else you think best, but I don't really
-> want this version to proliferate] to try it. There are two changes,
-> one to cure the anomaly Frank noticed about \newlinechar acting
-> differently wrt \write and \message [and other similar glitches I
-> then noticed myself], the other to fix I hope the problem Brian was
-> having with Greek. I'm reluctant to let the version number converge to
-> \pi too quickly, so I would at least like to have Brian accumulate
-> some experience with his Greek tests before putting this out widely.
-> Of course anybody is free to use it at their own risk.
-
-Be warned, however, that so far I've only tested it against the input
-that caused me problems back in April. I'll try to do some more
-thorough testing in the near future.
-
- [ dek:
- Certainly hope you did by now -- I need more reassurance than
- a single test
- ]
-
-> The files tex.web and tex82.bug have been moved to labrea.stanford.edu
-> where they are accessible via anonymous ftp. After logging in,
-> connect to directory alpha (which is for alpha-test software).
-> I forgot to copy the trip test files; if they are desperately needed,
-> I could bring them in from home.
-
-I haven't TRIPped the new TeX for this reason. The interesting thing
-would be if TRIP were extended to check the new ligature/hyphenation
-code: I expect that, with DEK's customary thoroughness, he'll have done
-this, so look forward to applying the tests myself when 3.14a emerges as
-3.141.
-
- [ dek:
- Actually my customary thoroughness is becoming less customary
- ]
-
-> So, next week you'll get my letter explaining all! Meanwhile, a
-> lookahead: I'll be in Sweden during November and December (thanks to
-> some good words from Roswitha, I'll getting an honorary degree
-> there!), and I plan to make the next official update to TeX sources
-> early in January. By then, this version 3.14a should be checked out,
-> and I can release it as version 3.141.
-
-Whilst you're talking to DEK, barbara, what response did he give to that
-d..d problem of Weave failing to wrap correctly when processing a TeX
-comment? I have a horrible suspicion in my mind that he's already said
-something to the effect that he edited it manually! Or am I imagining
-that horror? My fix works very well and doesn't have any bugs that I
-can see, so why doesn't he adopt it?
-
-Brian HK
- -------
-Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 00:56:57 BST
-From: Chris Thompson <CET1@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk>
-To: Barbara Beeton <BNB@MATH.AMS.com>
-Cc: Brian {Hamilton Kelly} <tex@rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk>,
- Frank Mittelbach <pzf5hz@ruipc1e.bitnet>
-Subject: Re: [message from dek -- tex alpha version 3.14a]
-
-Barbara, Brian, Frank,
-
- I have fetched and compiled TeX 3.14a. Unfortunately, change 397
-seems to have bugs. Try the following input:
-
- % TeX 3.14a test
- \pretolerance=-1
- \ Respectively.\par
- \showboxbreadth=255 \showboxdepth=255 \showlists
- \bye
-
-and compare the log files for 3.14 and 3.14a. That for 3.14a has an
-extra kern in between the "-ly" and the ".":
-
- .\tenrm e
- .\tenrm l
- .\tenrm y
- .\kern-0.83334 \ This kern has been doubled by the
- .\kern-0.83334 / automatic hyphentaion algorithm.
- .\tenrm .
- .\penalty 10000
-
- [ dek:
- well, this made me feel very sick, but I sure am thankful to
- Chris for finding it.
- $10.24
- ]
-
-I discovered this while checking that 'webman.tex' generated the same
-DVI file (except for date stamp), which is part of my standard paranoia
-suite. There were two discrepancies of the above type in the very first
-paragraph... but the rest of the document produced no more!
-
- [ dek:
- I think probably the _old_ 3.0 would also produce double kerns
- in cases where kern was specified before right boundary character
- by font designer [e.g. to kern after f at end of word]
-
- While studying this I found another mistake in my code from
- September. But I think the basic idea was sound, only the
- execution was faulty.
-
- Still I guess I should try another alpha test with "3.14b"?
- ]
-
-Brian & Frank: can you confirm this effect?
-
-Chris Thompson
-Cambridge University Computing Service
-JANET: cet1@uk.ac.cam.phx
-Internet: cet1@phx.cam.ac.uk
- -------
-Date: Mon, 30 SEP 91 15:46:17 BST
-Reply-to: Brian {Hamilton Kelly} <TeX@rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk>
-From: TEX@rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk
-Subject: Re: [message from dek -- tex alpha version 3.14a]
-
-In message <A4912BE187A67A40@UK.AC.CAMBRIDGE.PHOENIX> of Sun, 29 Sep 91
-00:56:57 BST, Chris Thompson <CET1@UK.AC.CAMBRIDGE.PHOENIX> wrote:
-
-> Barbara, Brian, Frank,
->
-> I have fetched and compiled TeX 3.14a. Unfortunately, change 397
-> seems to have bugs. [ ... ]
->
-> and compare the log files for 3.14 and 3.14a. That for 3.14a has an
-> extra kern in between the "-ly" and the ".":
->
-> .\tenrm e
-> .\tenrm l
-> .\tenrm y
-> .\kern-0.83334 \ This kern has been doubled by the
-> .\kern-0.83334 / automatic hyphentaion algorithm.
-> .\tenrm .
-> .\penalty 10000
->
-> [ ... ]
->
-> Brian & Frank: can you confirm this effect?
-
-I have repeated Chris' experiment, and can confirm that 3.14a does
-indeed double the kern. Oh dear...
-
-The odd thing is that I compared the outputs resulting from running
-DVItype on the DVI outputs of my Greek test, and saw only the expected
-change from medial sigma to terminal sigma (with relevant horizontal
-positioning changes). But I may have missed other horizontal changes
-due to this bug: I've thrown the printout away again by now,
-unfortunately!
-
-Brian
-
-<<< end DEK's alpha test, TeX 3.14a
-
-************************************************************************
-
->>> TeXbook errata
-
-Date: Tue, 19 Nov 91 16:05:02 GMT
-From: Chris Thompson <CET1@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk>
-Subject: TeXbook p.178 bug report
-
- Here is another TeXbook bugette report by Robert Hunt. I suppose it is
-right in theory, unless it comes under the "deliberate lie" clause. Anyway,
-perhaps you would like to have someone else vet it: I am getting to the stage
-with Robert's bug reports that I just wish he would shut up! He seems happy
-with the latest p.377 fix, by the way.
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-REH10 15 Nov 1991 16.49
-Very minor mistake on p.178 of the TeXbook: it claims that using \phantom{...}
-in a maths formula always produces the same spacing (vertical and horizontal)
-as just {...}; but of course this isn't true as \phantom can't tell whether the
-current maths style is cramped or not, so \phantom{U^2} will produce different
-vertical spacing in cramped style compared with what {U^2} would produce. I
-don't think this is particularly worth worrying about, but it's always annoyed
-me that \mathchoice doesn't distinguish between (say) T and T'.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- [ dek:
- $2.56
- I'm going to put the apology on page 360 because the truth would
- interfere with the exposition on p 178
- ]
-
-Chris Thompson
-
- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-
-Date: Tue, 3 Dec 91 15:13:01 MST
-From: Nelson H. F. Beebe <beebe@math.utah.edu>
-Subject: Possible bug in TeXbook, p.270
-
-Last night, while studying to TeXbook to better understand TeX's rules
-for when spaces are significant, I found what I believe is a small
-error in the TeXbook. I checked errata files errata.one .. errata.six
-without finding this error already logged.
-
-The TeXbook, p.270, gives BNF rules for the grammar of dimensions.
->From this grammar, one concludes from the rules (pulled from
-texman.tex)
-
-<optional {\tt true}>\is[true]\alt<empty>
-
-<unit of measure>\is<optional spaces><internal unit>
- \alt<optional {\tt true}><physical unit><one optional space>
-
-<normal dimen>\is<internal dimen>\alt<factor><unit of measure>
-
-<factor>\is<normal integer>\alt<decimal constant>
-
-<decimal constant>\is|.|$_{12}$\alt|,|$_{12}$
- \alt<digit><decimal constant>
- \alt<decimal constant><digit>
-
-that "123 truept" is illegal input, since no space may precede the
-word true according to the grammar.
-
-Nevertheless, TeX the program happily accepts such space:
-
-This is TeX, C Version 3.14
-**\relax
-
-*\dimen0 = 12345 true pt
-
- [ dek:
- see the \P on p 268 that begins `We shall use a special
- convention for keywords'. _true_ is a keyword
- ]
-
-*\showthe\dimen0
-> 12345.0pt.
-<*> \showthe\dimen0
-
-?
-
-I believe that TeX the program is correct, and is consistent with its
-permitting optional space before non-true dimensions.
-
-This suggests that the TeXbook should have the rule
-
-<unit of measure>\is<optional spaces><internal unit>
- \alt<optional {\tt true}><physical unit><one optional space>
-
-changed to
-
-<unit of measure>\is<optional spaces><internal unit>
- \alt<optional spaces><optional {\tt true}><physical unit><one optional space>
-
-I'm assuming that AB|CDE is to be parsed as (AB)|(CDE) (the
-conventional interpretation in BNF grammars), rather than A(B|C)DE;
-the latter would not make sense here anyway.
-
-========================================================================
-Nelson H.F. Beebe
-Center for Scientific Computing
-Department of Mathematics
-220 South Physics Building
-University of Utah
-Salt Lake City, UT 84112
-USA
- Tel: (801) 581-5254
- FAX: (801) 581-4148
- Internet: beebe@math.utah.edu
-========================================================================
-
-<<< end TeXbook errata
-
-************************************************************************
-
->>> inconsistent ligature/kerning behavior
-
-Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 13:13:55 +0200
-From: Bernd Raichle <raichle@azu.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de>
-Subject: Bug in TeX's ligature builder?! (No, it's documented.)
-
-In a letter to DEK in November 1989 (i.e., before TeX 3.0; appeared in
-TeXhax 90, Issue 5) Frank Mittelbach summarized some requirements of a
-new TeX version. For example, he mentioned manipulations of the
-"Ligatures and kerning tables" and the need to "Reconsider paragraphs
-after page-breaking". Other users had and have similar wishes and
-requirements.
-
-But nobody mentioned a bug, or better --- because this "bug" is
-documented in the TeXbook --- the inconsistent and (for the beginner)
-mysterious behaviour when TeX builds ligatures and inserts kerning.
-
-Try the following in plain TeX and look at the output. I have used
-the fl-ligature as an example. (TeX's behaviour for kerning between
-two characters is exactly the same.)
-
- ------------------------------ CUT ------------------------------
-\hsize=5cm % linebreak for more than three words
-\hyphenation{Au-flage}% for demonstration (correct german is Auf-la-ge)
-
-Auflage\par % (1) show `fl' ligature
-Auf{}lage Auf\relax lage\par % (2) simple way to avoid the ligature
-
-\pretolerance=10000 % no second pass
-Auf{}lage
-Auf{}lage Auf{}lage Auf{}lage Auf{}lage\par % (3) no ligatures
-
-\pretolerance=-1 % force second pass
-Auf{}lage % no(!) ligature, because there's no preceding glue
-Auf{}lage Auf{}lage Auf{}lage Auf{}lage\par % (4) ligatures
-
-Auf{}lage % (5) no(!) ligature, there's no preceding glue
-Auf\kern0pt lage % no lig, explicit kern
-Auf\/lage % no lig, explicit kern
-$\rm Auflage$ % example of ligature in math mode
-$\rm Auf{}lage$ % no lig, in math mode
-\hbox{Auf{}lage} % no lig, in packed hbox
-Auf{}lage\vrule width0pt\ % no lig, followed by a rule node
-Auf{}lage\kern0ptAuf{}lage % 1st ligature, 2nd no ligature
-Auf{}lage\par % ligature
-\bye
- ------------------------------ CUT ------------------------------
-
-Example (1) shows the normal fl ligature, in example (2) I suppress
-the ligature with an empty group (see TeXbook, exercise 5.1 and
-answer) or a \relax (both are non-character tokens).
-
-In example (3) I use empty groups to suppress the ligatures. The
-same(!) input paragraph in example (4) contains ligatures. The only
-and very important difference between (3) and (4) is the value of
-\pretolerance. (Note that the first word in (4) has no fl-ligature!)
-
-Example (5) gives a quick overview of TeX's behaviour, when the same
-word (= the same input!) is used in a different context. You can
-think of other examples: hbox the word... and unhbox it. Try the same
-with the ''-ligature (i.e. compare '' with '{}'), etc.
-
-
-Very short explanation of this behaviour: when TeX is in hmode,
-ligatures and kernings are build out of the (current input) token
-list. Non-character tokens (like { or \relax) influence ligatures and
-kerning.
-
-When TeX is in math mode or after hyphenation is done in the second
-pass of the line_break algorithm, ligatures and kernings are build out
-of the node list representing the current paragraph (or math list).
-This node list doesn't contain representations for tokens like { or
-\relax anymore. Because not all parts of the node list are tried for
-hyphenation, not all of the supressed ligatures are reconstituted.
-
-
-TeX has a powerful linebreak algorithm, a powerful hyphenation
-capability and powerful ligature and kerning tables.
-But the connection between them shows IMHO design bugs, if you want to
-use them and expect the same output from the same input.
-
- [ dek:
- This is unfortunate but known and I decided long ago that
- the cure would be worse than the disease.
- ]
-
-Comments, etc. ...?? (... are expected!!)
-
- -bernd
-
-PS: I have ideas how to make ligatures/kerning more consistent.
- But the result, after the necessary changes (in a few places)
- are applied, is a "TeX" which fails the Trip-Test.
-
- __________________________________________________________________________
- Bernd Raichle, Student der Universit"at Stuttgart | "Le langage est source
- privat: Stettener Str. 73, D-W-7300 Esslingen | de malentendus"
- email: raichle@azu.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de | (A. de Saint-Exupery)
-
-<<< end inconsistent ligature/kerning behavior
-
-
-########################################################################
-
-%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-% Character code reference
-%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-%
-% Upper case letters: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
-% Lower case letters: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
-% Digits: 0123456789
-% Square, curly, angle braces, parentheses: [] {} <> ()
-% Backslash, slash, vertical bar: \ / |
-% Punctuation: . ? ! , : ;
-% Underscore, hyphen, equals sign: _ - =
-% Quotes--right left double: ' ` "
-%"at", "number" "dollar", "percent", "and": @ # $ % &
-% "hat", "star", "plus", "tilde": ^ * + ~
-%
-%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-
-[ end of message 036 ]
-