diff options
author | Karl Berry <karl@freefriends.org> | 2013-03-05 00:31:32 +0000 |
---|---|---|
committer | Karl Berry <karl@freefriends.org> | 2013-03-05 00:31:32 +0000 |
commit | 128badd949a46eab7b3cdd4be67a3cd4e69e7769 (patch) | |
tree | 15e2c62adc3721f8b04d13a15d149f8f9752c4c8 /Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/archive-version/faq-the-end.tex | |
parent | cecaa6eb0816bb7e9ca11b0aa34254ddf60e41ba (diff) |
FAQ-en (4mar13)
git-svn-id: svn://tug.org/texlive/trunk@29288 c570f23f-e606-0410-a88d-b1316a301751
Diffstat (limited to 'Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/archive-version/faq-the-end.tex')
-rw-r--r-- | Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/archive-version/faq-the-end.tex | 187 |
1 files changed, 187 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/archive-version/faq-the-end.tex b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/archive-version/faq-the-end.tex new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..549315ed3be --- /dev/null +++ b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/archive-version/faq-the-end.tex @@ -0,0 +1,187 @@ +% $Id: faq-the-end.tex,v 1.2 2011/10/29 07:29:44 rf10 Exp rf10 $ + +\section{You're still stuck?} + +\Question[Q-noans]{You don't understand the answer} + +While the \acro{FAQ} maintainers don't offer a `help' service, they're +very keen that you understand the answers they've already written. +They're (almost) written ``in a vacuum'', to provide something to +cover a set of questions that have arisen; it's always possible that +they're written in a way that a novice won't understand them. + +Which is where you can help the community. Mail the +\begin{wideversion} + \href{mailto:faq-devel@tex.ac.uk}{maintainers} +\end{wideversion} +\begin{narrowversion} + maintainers (at \Email{faq-devel@tex.ac.uk}) +\end{narrowversion} +to report the answer that you find unclear, and (if you can) suggest +what we need to clarify. Time permitting (the team is small and all +its members are busy), we'll try and clarify the answer. This way, +with a bit of luck, we can together improve the value of this resource +to the whole community. + +Note that the \acro{FAQ} development email address is not for +answering questions: it's for you to suggest which questions we should +work on, or new questions we should answer in future editions. + +Those who simply ask questions at that address will be referred to +\mailto{texhax@tug.org} or to \Newsgroup{comp.text.tex}. + +\Question[Q-newans]{Submitting new material for the \acro{FAQ}} + +The \acro{FAQ} will never be complete, and we always expect that +there will be people out there who know better than we do about +something or other. We always need to be put right about whatever +we've got wrong, and suggestions for improvements, particularly +covering areas we've missed, are always needed: mail anything you have +to the +\begin{wideversion} + \href{mailto:faq-devel@tex.ac.uk}{maintainers} +\end{wideversion} +\begin{narrowversion} + maintainers (at \Email{faq-devel@tex.ac.uk}) +\end{narrowversion} + +If you have actual material to submit, your contribution is more than +ever welcome. Submission in plain text is entirely acceptable, but +if you're really willing, you may feel free to mark up your submission +in the form needed for the \acro{FAQ} itself. The markup is a +strongly-constrained version of \LaTeX{}~--- the constraints come from +the need to translate the marked-up text to \acro{HTML} on the fly +(and hence pretty efficiently). There is a file \File{markup-syntax} +in the \acro{FAQ} distribution that describes the structure of the +markup, but there's no real substitute for reading at least some of +the source (\File{faqbody.tex}) of the \acro{FAQ} itself. If you +understand \ProgName{Perl}, you may also care to look at the +translation code in \File{texfaq2file} and \File{sanitize.pl} in the +distribution: this isn't the code actually used on the Web site, but +it's a close relation and is kept +up to date for development purposes. +\begin{ctanrefs} +\item[\nothtml{\rmfamily}\acro{FAQ} distribution]\CTANref{faq} +\end{ctanrefs} + +\Question[Q-bug]{What to do if you find a bug} + +For a start, make entirely sure you \emph{have} found a bug. +Double-check with books about \TeX{}, \LaTeX{}, or whatever you're using; +compare what you're seeing against the other answers above; ask every +possible person you know who has any \TeX{}-related expertise. +The reasons for all this caution are various. + +If you've found a bug in \TeX{} itself, you're a rare animal indeed. +Don Knuth is so sure of the quality of his code that he offers real +money prizes to finders of bugs; the cheques he writes are +such rare items that they are seldom cashed. If \emph{you} +think you have found a genuine fault in \TeX{} itself (or \MF{}, or the +\acro{CM} fonts, or the \TeX{}book), don't immediately write to Knuth, +however. He only looks at bugs infrequently, and even then +only after they are agreed as bugs by a small vetting team. In the +first instance, contact Barbara Beeton at the \acro{AMS} +(\Email{bnb@ams.org}), or contact +\Qref*{\acro{TUG}}{Q-TUG*}. + +If you've found a bug in \LaTeXe{}, \Qref*{report it}{Q-latexbug} +using mechanisms supplied by the \LaTeX{} team. (Please be +careful to ensure you've got a \LaTeX{} bug, or a bug in one of the +``required'' packages distributed by the \LaTeX{} team.) + +If you've found a bug in a contributed \LaTeX{} package, the best +starting place is usually to ask in the ``usual places for % ! line break +\Qref*{help on-line}{Q-gethelp}, or just possibly one of the % ! line break +\Qref*{specialised mailing lists}{Q-maillists*}. +The author of the package may well answer on-line, but if no-one +offers any help, you may stand a chance if you mail the author +(presuming that you can find an address\dots{}). + +If you've found a bug in \LaTeXo{}, or some other such unsupported +software, your only real hope is \Qref*{help on-line}{Q-gethelp}. + +Failing all else, you may need to pay for +help~--- \acro{TUG} maintains a % ! line break +\href{http://www.tug.org/consultants.html}{register of \TeX{} consultants}. +(This of course requires that you have the resources~--- and a +pressing enough need~--- to hire someone.) + + +\htmlignore +\par +\endhtmlignore +\Question[Q-latexbug]{Reporting a \LaTeX{} bug} +\htmlignore +\par +\endhtmlignore +% +% This here isn't a reference to a question... +\label{lastquestion} + +The \LaTeX{} team supports \LaTeX{}, and will deal with +% beware line wrap +\emph{bona fide} bug reports. Note that the \LaTeX{} team does +\emph{not} deal with contributed packages~--- just the software that +is part of the \LaTeX{} distribution itself: \LaTeX{} and the +``required'' packages. +Furthermore, you need to be slightly +careful to produce a bug report that is usable by the team. The steps +are: + +\nothtml{\noindent}\textbf{1.} Are you still using current \LaTeX{}? Maintenance is only +available for sufficiently up-to-date versions of \LaTeX{}~--- if your +\LaTeX{} is more than two versions out of date, the bug reporting +mechanisms may reject your report. + +\nothtml{\noindent}\textbf{2.} Has your bug already been reported? Browse the +% beware line break +\href{http://www.latex-project.org/cgi-bin/ltxbugs2html?introduction=yes}{\LaTeX{} bugs database}, +to find any earlier instance of your bug. In many cases, the database +will list a work-around. + +\nothtml{\noindent}\textbf{3.} Prepare a % ! line break +\Qref*{``minimum'' file}{Q-minxampl} that exhibits the problem. +Ideally, such a file should contain no contributed packages~--- the +\LaTeX{} team as a whole takes no responsibility for such packages (if +they're supported at all, they're supported by their authors). The +``minimum'' file should be self-sufficient: if a member of the team +should run it in a clean directory, on a system with no contributed +packages, it should replicate your problem. + +\nothtml{\noindent}\textbf{4.} Run your file through \LaTeX{}: the bug +system needs the \extension{log} file that this process creates. + +You now have two possible ways to proceed: either create a mail report +to send to the bug processing mechanism (5, below), or submit your bug +report via the web (7, below). + +\nothtml{\noindent}\textbf{5.} Process the bug-report creation file, using \LaTeX{} itself: +\begin{verbatim} + latex latexbug +\end{verbatim} +\File{latexbug} asks you some questions, and then lets you describe +the bug you've found. It produces an output file \File{latexbug.msg}, +which includes the details you've supplied, your ``minimum'' example +file, and the log file you got after running the example. (I always +need to edit the result before submitting it: typing text into +\File{latexbug} isn't much fun.) + +\nothtml{\noindent}\textbf{6.} Mail the resulting file to +\Email{latex-bugs@latex-project.org}; the subject line of your email +should be the same as the bug title you gave to \File{latexbug}. The +file \File{latexbug.msg} should be included into your message in-line: +attachments are likely to be rejected by the bug processor. + +\nothtml{\noindent}\textbf{7.} Connect to the +% beware line break +\href{http://www.latex-project.org/bugs-upload.html}{latex bugs processing web page} +and enter details of your bug~--- category, summary and full +description, and the two important files (source and log file); note +that members of the \LaTeX{} team \emph{need} your name and email address, as +they may need to discuss the bug with you, or to advise you of a +work-around. + +%%% Local Variables: +%%% mode: latex +%%% TeX-master: t +%%% End: |