From df03e5b3de4cbd1ded325d15714456336229a223 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Norbert Preining Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2020 03:01:00 +0000 Subject: CTAN sync 202001070301 --- info/impatient/errata.future | 210 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 210 insertions(+) create mode 100644 info/impatient/errata.future (limited to 'info/impatient') diff --git a/info/impatient/errata.future b/info/impatient/errata.future new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..12e944fc55 --- /dev/null +++ b/info/impatient/errata.future @@ -0,0 +1,210 @@ +$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'. -- cgit v1.2.3