From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.comp.tex.context/22169 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Idris Samawi Hamid Newsgroups: gmane.comp.tex.context Subject: Upgrading ConTeXt and testing Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 13:40:42 -0600 Message-ID: <431B3E5E@webmail.colostate.edu> Reply-To: mailing list for ConTeXt users NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1125258121 14734 80.91.229.2 (28 Aug 2005 19:42:01 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 19:42:01 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: ntg-context-bounces@ntg.nl Sun Aug 28 21:41:53 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from ronja.vet.uu.nl ([131.211.172.88] helo=ronja.ntg.nl) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1E9T1Q-0002rz-NU for gctc-ntg-context-518@m.gmane.org; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:40:52 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by ronja.ntg.nl (Postfix) with ESMTP id 608CE127CC; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:40:52 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from ronja.ntg.nl ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (smtp.ntg.nl [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with LMTP id 10958-06; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:40:48 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from ronja.vet.uu.nl (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by ronja.ntg.nl (Postfix) with ESMTP id 384E5127C1; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:40:48 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by ronja.ntg.nl (Postfix) with ESMTP id 29A45127C1 for ; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:40:46 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from ronja.ntg.nl ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (smtp.ntg.nl [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with LMTP id 10978-03-2 for ; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:40:45 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from eagle.colostate.edu (eagle.acns.colostate.edu [129.82.100.90]) by ronja.ntg.nl (Postfix) with ESMTP id CA27012791 for ; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:40:44 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from lamar.ColoState.EDU (lamar.acns.colostate.edu [129.82.100.75]) by eagle.colostate.edu (AIX5.1/8.11.6p2/8.11.0) with ESMTP id j7SJehI120498 for ; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 13:40:43 -0600 Original-Received: from webmail.colostate.edu (csunts4.acns.colostate.edu [129.82.100.135]) by lamar.ColoState.EDU (AIX5.3/8.11.6p2/8.11.0) with ESMTP id j7SJehs3039500 for ; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 13:40:43 -0600 X-WebMail-UserID: ishamid Original-To: mailing list for ConTeXt users X-EXP32-SerialNo: 00002247, 00002264 X-Mailer: Infinite Mobile Delivery (Hydra) SMTP v3.62.01 X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at ntg.nl X-BeenThere: ntg-context@ntg.nl X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: mailing list for ConTeXt users List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: ntg-context-bounces@ntg.nl Errors-To: ntg-context-bounces@ntg.nl X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.3 (2005-04-27) on smtp.ntg.nl X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at ntg.nl Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.comp.tex.context:22169 Archived-At: Dear gang, I understand that ConTeXt is a HUGE system, and it is impossible for Hans to micro-test everything. However, it is not infrequent that upgrades by users lead to sometimes days of lost productivity. For example, a recent change in the indentation code ruined a 425-page manuscript and it took me hours to identify the source of the problem. And that was only one problem. Given the problems some of us have faced when upgrading, I think that we really need a test suite of documents that provide some benchmarks for each part of the system, from building supported format files to features to supported output formats. Maybe this would take a long time; but perhaps the task could be delegated among is. I would be willing to be part of that team (including but not exclusively the aleph-dvipdfmx cycle). When a new ConTeXt is released, Taco or someone else could then document which bugs are fixed, features added, and, most importantly, what features are changed or broken. That way, upgrading does not always have to be a leap in the dark with fingers crossed. The above is just an idea. I hope it can be developed into something actually workable and useful. A related point (disussed before) is that ConTeXt needs to become completely independent of the TeX distributions. mswincontext.zip is a good start (I no longer use fpTeX), but things like dvipdfmx and the plain format (for testing purposes) need to be thoroughly supported and tested. Again, a support team for Hans is needed (especially for Mac OSX and Unix), and I'm willing to help as far as my skills will allow. Best Idris ============================ Professor Idris Samawi Hamid Department of Philosophy Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523