From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id dfafd338 for ; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:17:47 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 1CA7A9B95E; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 10:17:46 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8B0DF9B92D; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 10:17:23 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id A68049B92B; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 10:17:19 +1000 (AEST) Received: from fourwinds.com (fourwinds.com [63.64.179.162]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 539419B92A for ; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 10:17:19 +1000 (AEST) Received: from darkstar.fourwinds.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fourwinds.com (8.15.2/8.15.2) with ESMTPS id 01I0HITD1415948 (version=TLSv1.3 cipher=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 bits=256 verify=NOT) for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2020 16:17:18 -0800 Received: from darkstar.fourwinds.com (jon@localhost) by darkstar.fourwinds.com (8.15.2/8.15.2/Submit) with ESMTP id 01I0HI0I1415945 for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2020 16:17:18 -0800 Message-Id: <202002180017.01I0HI0I1415945@darkstar.fourwinds.com> From: Jon Steinhart To: The Eunuchs Hysterical Society In-reply-to: References: <202002171520.01HFKqKi026749@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> <4d252035b323b7583c5760c952d1982c@firemail.de> <202002171839.01HId8FT1358073@darkstar.fourwinds.com> Comments: In-reply-to Richard Salz message dated "Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:03:08 -0500." MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-ID: <1415943.1581985038.1@darkstar.fourwinds.com> Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2020 16:17:18 -0800 X-JON-SPAM: local delivery Subject: Re: [TUHS] man Macro Package and pdfmark X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" Richard Salz writes: > > > 'The problem is that the ecosystem has been fragmented by people doing > their "documentation" in their preferred formats instead of in a common > (man) format. > > Damn those unauthorized developers. How dare they write code that doesn't > meet standards. > > Get off my lawn. The relevant TUHS part of it that maybe some folks here can speak to is how did UNIX remain so cohesive for so long? How were decisions made? Of course, this started to fall apart with System III and such as things got more clunky. I've probably said this before, but today I see way too much "string theory programming". What I mean by that is the "I have an idea so I'll just start my own universe that doesn't play well with others rather than extending the existing ecosystem" model. That's my beef with texinfo; there was already an existing functional system and rather than making some improvements a new incompatible universe was created. Noel Chiappa writes: > I am _sooo_ tempted to say 'What do you think source is for?' :-) I think that this is part of the problem, have you looked at the source for any modern package? It's pretty impenetrable. I see a lot of overly complex, poorly written code with no documentation. That makes it really difficult for someone to extend or otherwise modify it. It's probably easier to create a new universe than understand an existing one. Jon