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Diffstat (limited to 'Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/faq-backgrnd.tex')
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1 files changed, 33 insertions, 23 deletions
diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/faq-backgrnd.tex b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/faq-backgrnd.tex index ec62131e433..c7c17b7b2b7 100644 --- a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/faq-backgrnd.tex +++ b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/generic/FAQ-en/faq-backgrnd.tex @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -% $Id: faq-backgrnd.tex,v 1.29 2011/10/02 20:13:05 rf10 Exp rf10 $ +% $Id: faq-backgrnd.tex,v 1.30 2012/10/10 20:37:43 rf10 Exp rf10 $ \section{The Background} @@ -393,8 +393,8 @@ on the \acro{TUG} site, % ! line break The acronym stands for ``Comprehensive \tex{} Archive Network'', which more-or-less specifies what it's \emph{for}: \begin{itemize} -\item The aim is to offer a comprehensive collection of \tex{} resources. -\item The content is to be made publicly accessible, via the internet. +\item The archives offer a comprehensive collection of \tex{} resources. +\item The content is made publicly accessible, via the internet. \item \acro{CTAN} is a \emph{network} of archives, which strive to stay in step with one another. \end{itemize} @@ -410,7 +410,9 @@ Actual implementation offers three distinct types of host: \item[\emph{Mirror} archives]Which do no more than take regular copies of core archives. \item[Archive selector]Which is a meta-service, which routes requests - to an apparently ``local'' source (mirror or archive). + to an apparently ``local'' mirror (``local'' is determined by an + algorithm that uses your net address to determine where you are, and + then selects a mirror that's close). \end{description} Note that there is nothing to prevent any archive from supporting other functions, so a \acro{CTAN} mirror may also operate as a @@ -419,32 +421,35 @@ mirror, and \dots{} Functions that distinguish core archives are: \begin{itemize} -\item Uploads: users may submit new (or updated) material, and - significant changes to the archive are reported via the mailing list - \Email{ctan-ann@dante.de} +\item Uploads: users may submit new (or updated) material via the + \Qref*{upload redirector}{Q-uploads}. Significant changes to the + archive are reported via the mailing list \Email{ctan-ann@dante.de} \item Weak consistency: changes to the content of the archives are - rapidly distributed to all core archives. + rapidly distributed to all core archives. (Consistency is `weak' + since changes can take several minutes to propagate.) \item Providing distribution (\texlive{} and \miktex{}) support. \item Catalogue maintenance. \item Mirror monitoring. \end{itemize} -Not all core archives offer all of these functions. -Users may contact the maintainers of the core archives via the mailing -list \mailto{ctan@dante.de} - -Users who have new material for the archive may submit it using the -\href{http://dante.ctan.org/upload/}{German} or -\href{http://www.tex.ac.uk/upload/}{UK} archive. +Users may make direct contact with the +\begin{flatversion} + \ctan{} management team, via \mailto{ctan@dante.de} +\end{flatversion} +\begin{hyperversion} + \href{mailto:ctan@dante.de}{\ctan{} management team}. +\end{hyperversion} Users should ordinarily download material from \acro{CTAN} via the \href*{http://mirror.ctan.org/}{archive selector}: this uses the mirror monitor's database, and uses the caller's geographical location to offer an efficient choice of ``sufficiently up-to-date'' mirror site for -you to connect to. Note that all the download links, given in the web -representation of these \acro{FAQ}s, are set up to use the mirror -selector. -\LastEdit*{2011-04-21} +you to connect to. This procedure has the advantage of distributing +the load on \ctan{} mirrors. + +Note that all the download links, given in the web representation of +these \acro{FAQ}s, are set up to use the mirror selector. +\LastEdit{2013-02-20} \Question[Q-catalogue]{The (\acro{CTAN}) catalogue} @@ -931,7 +936,7 @@ Finally, of course, you can also print the files, or convert them to \Question[Q-whyfree]{If \TeX{} is so good, how come it's free?} It's free because Knuth chose to make it so (he makes money from -royalties on his \TeX{} books, which all sell well. He is nevertheless +royalties on his \TeX{} books, which still sell well). He is nevertheless apparently happy that others should earn money by selling \TeX{}-based services and products. While several valuable \TeX{}-related tools and packages are offered subject to restrictions imposed by the \acro{GNU} @@ -974,8 +979,8 @@ projects: see, for example, \Qref[question]{the LaTeX3 project}{Q-LaTeX3}) %\Qref[and]{and the SGML work}{Q-SGML}) to build substantial -new macro packages based on \TeX{}. For the even longer term, there -are various projects to build a \emph{successor} to \TeX{}. The +new macro packages based on \TeX{}. There are also +various projects to build a \emph{successor} to \TeX{}. The \Qref*{\eTeX{}}{Q-etex} extension to \TeX{} itself arose from such a project (\acro{NTS}). Another pair of projects, which have delivered all the results they are likely to deliver, is the related % ! line break @@ -985,7 +990,7 @@ development, but is widely used, and the % ! line break \Qref*{\LuaTeX{} project}{Q-luatex} (though not scheduled to produce its final product until end 2012) has already delivered a system that is quite useful. -\LastEdit{2011-07-06} +\LastEdit{2012-10-10} \Question[Q-readtex]{Reading \AllTeX{} files} @@ -1029,6 +1034,11 @@ So there's a balance between the simplicity of the original editor, and the really rather large investment needed to install a system to read a document ``as intended''. +Are you ``put off'' by all this?~--- remember that \tex{} is good at +producing \acro{PDF}: why not ask the person who sent the \tex{} file +to send an \acro{PDF} copy? +\LastEdit{2012-10-10} + \Question[Q-notWYSIWYG]{Why is \TeX{} not a \WYSIWYG{} system?} \WYSIWYG{} is a marketing term (``What you see is what you get'') for |