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authorNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2020-01-07 03:01:00 +0000
committerNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2020-01-07 03:01:00 +0000
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treefcc2df9ab2f7520e64a5b2d45908da7cdb3518e4 /info/impatient
parent9d0c8699c4a9f01ec5cc8aeb7e3b14956b3d51c1 (diff)
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+$Id: errata.future,v 1.7 2020/01/02 23:45:45 karl Exp $
+
+Ideas for future changes. (This file is public domain.)
+
+Did not make these in the free edition since I didn't want to change the
+page breaks because I didn't want to install Icon (or more likely
+rewrite to use makeindex or texindex) so I could regenerate the index.
+See the README.
+
+- incorporate the images in the artwork/ subdirectory.
+
+- discuss CTAN, other Internet resources, plain or generic macro
+ packages, and so on.
+
+- extend with descriptions of e-TeX, pdftex, xetex, luatex.
+
+- html output, perhaps using tex2page,
+ http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/dorai/tex2page/tex2page-doc.html
+ though more likely using tex4ht, with work:
+ https://tug.org/tex4ht
+
+- use pdftex's hz line breaking for better-looking paragraphs (and to
+ reduce rewriting for overfull boxes).
+
+
+
+From Karl and Kathy (now in 2020 ... some of these changes seem unnecessary
+to Karl, but leaving them listed for any future maintainer to consider):
+
+* The default values should probably be in roman everywhere. I don't
+think `6pt plus 1pt minus 2pt' looks bad in roman any more, which was
+the original impetus for printing them in typewriter, as I recall.
+It is pretty random right now. (Numbers are usually printed in roman,
+for example.)
+
+* The index might look better printed without the commas after the term.
+Also, there should be some way to indicate usages of control sequences,
+as opposed to explanations. We could do what Knuth did, and print the
+entries in another font (typewriter would be appropriate, perhaps). We
+could also just have a subentry `examples' or `using' or something.
+
+* `\langle f' and `l\rangle' are too close. I don't know if the macros
+can be hacked to add more space for just those characters.
+
+* The way (short) lists are punctuated is inconsistent. In (at least)
+four places (pp.3,18,56,265) the items are capitalized and end with
+period. In most others (2,72,74,81,83,234) they are not capitalized and
+have no ending punctuation. And in two (76,238) they are not capitalized
+and end with a period. I realize that the same form is not always
+appropriate, but this is not true very often. Personally, I prefer a
+form like:
+
+\list
+\item item 1,
+\item item 2,
+\item last item.
+\endlist
+
+but whatever.
+
+* In most places where we say `.dvi' we aren't really talking about the
+file extension. `{\sc DVI}' would be more appropriate.
+
+* The Preface, Brief Contents, and Contents chapter opening pages start
+too high and too far to the left. This is probably a consequence of
+\chapter changing and \shortchapter not.
+
+
+(The rest of the changes are by page number.)
+
+1 It would be nice to use section names as well as numbers.
+
+7 (first para) local information tells you => local information will
+tell you, since they couldn't have found it yet.
+
+16 Index `spacing, in formulas' and `formulas, spacing in'.
+(math formulas) can appear in text ... or set off => can appear in
+text ... or can appear set off, for structure.
+enclose a text formula in => enclose a text formula within
+
+17 (last para) The kind of entity TeX is assembling determines the mode
+it's in, it doesn't define it. I tend to think of it in the other
+direction: the mode TeX is in determines the entity TeX is assembling.
+
+21 (last para) It would be clearer to actually define \xmpheader in the
+first example and then use it. As it is, it's not entirely clear which
+commands in the first example go into it.
+(bottom) is defined in plain TeX => is either a primitive or defined
+in plain TeX.
+
+22 There's an en-dash in the place (before the first "like so") where an
+em-dash should be in the last sentence. Needs rewording.
+
+23 (three instances near the top) The comments should have periods at
+the end and be capitalized properly. We are remarkably inconsistent on
+this throughout. In some cases, the comments aren't complete sentences,
+so periods are unnecessary. But sometimes, as here, they are complete
+sentences, so we should have periods. And sometimes they're sentences
+and not capitalized.
+
+24 If we didn't put space between these paragraphs, you would have a
+hard time => If we hadn't ..., you would have had ..., to remove the
+time warp.
+
+32 (bottom) try to use these commands => try to use those commands,
+since the commands are above the comment.
+Also, they can get lists with more levels than one by using the Eplain
+list stuff, instead of programming it themselves, alas.
+
+34 The title might be better as `Using non-Computer Modern fonts' or
+something, since we haven't said what the first source is.
+
+44 (after example input) Put the page reference (p.176) after the
+`\settabs 2 \columns'.
+
+45 (towards the bottom) treats each entry as a group => puts each entry
+into a group, because alignment entries are certainly other things
+besides groups.
+
+46 (top) The \tabskip (p.184) => The \tabskip parameter (p.184), and
+(top) The \noalign (p.183) commands => The \noalign commands (p.183),
+because it reads better; also, we say `the \strut commands (p.167)'
+below.
+(third para) Two consecutive sentences start with ``A vertical
+alignment''. The second one could probably be ``It''.
+
+51 I guess the box picture never got fixed. (The `reference point' moved
+up quite a bit, and the arrow moved up a little. Also, the `baseline'
+could be moved down.)
+
+52 (first two paragraphs): the height/depth of hboxes takes \raise and
+\lower into account, and the width of vboxes takes \moveleft and
+\moveright into account.
+(the list) the box (or rule) => the box or rule, because the rule
+case isn't subordinate or anything. This is in both items.
+
+55 (second para) Same problem with characters vs. character code. The
+input letter `h' is not transformed into the letter `h' typeset in the
+current font. It's transformed into the character at position 104.
+The locution now makes it sound as if TeX somehow searches the font for
+the letter `h'.
+(next para) We should say that the input character's ``code number'' is
+the ``character code''. As it is, we never define the latter (I don't
+think).
+(two more paras) An example showing the 64 less/greater stuff would be
+nice.
+
+57 (under control sequence) with an escape character, usually a
+backslash (\) => with an escape character, which is usually the
+backslash character, since \ isn't always an escape character.
+
+58 (control word) It seems a bit inconsistent to footnote ``letter''
+here, and not in either of the previous two concepts.
+(delimiter) In `... to one of the commands \left, \right, \overwithdelims,
+... (see pp. 201,204)', either the 201 and 204 or the command names
+should be switched, since it's \left and \right that are on 204.
+(next para) fonts you're using have big enough parens => fonts you're
+using can construct big enough parens, because of extensible characters.
+Also, it isn't clear that the delimiters produced by \bigl et al. have
+fixed size.
+
+59 (before the list) The terms l-commands and r-commands need some
+explanation.
+
+60 (first line) `the ``small'' character in the ``small'' font' is
+misleading. We've already said the small char is in the small font. As
+it is, when, a couple sentences below, we say that small character can
+be left undefined, it sounds like the small font can't be left
+undefined.
+(demerits) `cost' should be a concept.
+
+62 (second para) Put a tie between `family' and `1'.
+
+65 (under format file) can be created => is created, because there's no
+other way to make one.
+(last line) two refs to page 228.
+
+66 (example) the shrinks are 1 and 3, whereas the shrinks on the next
+page are 2 and 6. Might as well make them all the same.
+
+69 {\TeX} => \TeX{} (if we must keep this example).
+
+71 The item concept is pretty useless as it is; it would be nice to say
+what the possible items were, and clearly distinguish items from tokens,
+etc.
+
+72 (towards the bottom) insured that the dots => made the dots, because
+we've done something active than ``insure''.
+
+73 (ligature) the '' and , in office'', aren't kerned. The word
+``office'' is in an \hbox, not sure why.
+
+80 (math mode) Should say that display math gives you space above and
+below the formula.
+
+84 (page) between exercises => between exercisings?
+
+86 (page layout) We don't give the default space between the body of the
+text and the headers or footers.
+
+217 \mathsurround should make an index entry for `formulas, spacing
+around' or something like that.
+
+224 I think `Converting information to tokens' is really a misnomer.
+Maybe just call it `Conversions' and making `Environmental information'
+its own section.
+
+263 `Ending the job' should be next to `Initializing TeX'.
+
+294 Have an index entry for `logos'.