[tex-live] TL2004: Technical problems and testing

[Olaf Weber]

Karl Berry writes:

>>     unprintable stuff spewed on a terminal, the terminal's status may get
>>     thoroughly screwed.

> Indeed.

> Here are my opinions:

> 1) for every release of Web2c TeX and TeX Live ever made, the default
>    has been to use the locale-dependent isprint to determine whether to
>    use ^^ notation for the log/tty output.  Am I wrong about that?
>    Assuming that is correct, I don't think we should change it for TL.

I believe it was added in 7.1, requested by Bernd Raichle.  Since then
it has been heavily modified.  I suspect that -- for the original
purpuse -- the current combination of TCX plus -8bit is a better match
than locales.

> 1a) If the default for encTeX has always been to have 8-bit tty/log
>    output, then by all means, that should remain true -- when the enctex
>    extensions are enabled.  I am assuming that enctex stuff is disabled
>    by default.  Is that correct?

Formally (from my p.o.v. at least) encTeX has only been recently added
to web2c.  encTeX is disabled by default.

> 2) it is highly desirable for installers to be able to change this
>    default, system-wide, with a config file option.  Can they do so now?

> 3) it is highly desirable for users (and programs) to be able to
>    override the installed default, with a config file/runtime option as
>    Thomas suggests.  Can they do so now?

The "default" is only affected by setting the locale.  I'm not sure I
really want to pile on another set of flags modifying the behaviour.
Especially since I doubt we could reach agreement on what they'd have
to be/do.

> I do not like the idea of the output printability algorithm depending on
> the interaction mode.

> The question in my mind is the one te asked dak -- how was dak getting
> 8-bit output on the terminal with last year's release?

I suspect by fiddling with the locale.

> I guess we have to go through this stuff at least once a year, I hope
> this will be the time for this year :).

> k

-- 
Olaf Weber

               (This space left blank for technical reasons.)