Re: Mapping of teTeX files to TeXLive packages

[Frank Küster <frank@debian.org>]

"Kevin B. McCarty" <kmccarty@Princeton.EDU> wrote:

> I must confess that I completely missed this, probably for two reasons:
> a) there was no reference about where to find the TDS, and b) in part
> because of (a), it isn't obvious from the text that the TDS does not
> just refer to the list of "the following TEXMF trees" immediately below.

The TDS is introduced in the "Terms and Definitions" chapter.  But you
are right, we should reorganize this.

> One big help would be to include a URL to the TDS in the paragraph
> quoted above.  I don't know if it's available in HTML format.  Even if
> it isn't, a pointer would still be very helpful, for instance "The TDS
> is available in the texlive-doc-en package and the tetex-doc package; it
> may be viewed by running 'texdoc tds' if one of these packages is
> installed."

I have now commited the following patch, which moves the TDS stuff to
the subsection about File searching instead of TEXMF trees.  What do you
think about it?

       <heading>File Placement</heading>
       <p>
       This chapter describes the placement of TeX input files, so that
-      they can be found by programs.  Files that are not TeX input
-      files must not be put in a TEXMF tree (put them into
+      they can be found by programs.  Files that are not input files
+      for TeX or related programs must not be put in a TEXMF tree (put
+      them into
       <file>/usr/share/<var>package</var></file> instead).  As an
       exception, documentation files in plain text may be used inside
       a <var>TEXMF</var> tree, e.g. to explain the purpose of an
       otherwise empty directory.
       </p>
       <sect>
-      <heading>Path searching and <package>libkpathsea</package> / <package>libkpse</package></heading>
+      <heading>File searching and <package>libkpathsea</package> / <package>libkpse</package></heading>
 
+        <p>
+        File locations must follow the TeX Directory Structure, TDS.
+        The TDS specification is installed in
+        the <package>texlive-doc-en</package>
+        and <package>tetex-doc</package> packages
+        as <file>tds.dvi</file>, and the latest version of the TDS is
+        available at <tt><url name="http://www.tug.org/twg/tds/";
+        id="http://www.tug.org/twg/tds/";></tt>.  It is a bug if a
+        package only conforms to an outdated TDS version.  It is a
+        more severe bug, however, if it conforms to the current TDS
+        version but does not make sure to depend on an appropriately
+        recent version of the Basic TeX packages or
+        <package>tex-common</package> (that support this TDS version).
+        </p>
+  
         <p>The Basic TeX packages must provide a mechanism for searching
         through <var>TEXMF</var> trees that allows different files to be
         found depending on the invoking program and the specified file
@@ -192,15 +208,6 @@
       <heading>Directory trees</heading>
 
         <p>
-        File locations must follow the TeX Directory Structure, TDS.  It
-        is a bug if a package only conforms to an outdated TDS version.
-        It is a more severe bug, however, if it conforms to the current
-        TDS version but does not make sure to depend on an appropriately
-        recent version of the Basic TeX packages or
-        <package>tex-common</package> (that support this TDS version).
-        </p>
-  
-        <p>
         The following <var>TEXMF</var> trees are defined, as outlined
         below:
         <enumlist>


> Alternatively you could consider shipping the TDS doc in tex-common
> instead of (or in addition to) texlive-doc-en/tetex-doc, say in the same
> directory as the Debian TeX policy docs.

That's actually what we should do, just as debian-policy ships a copy of
the FHS.  I just don't have time for this right now.  Should we recreate
the html/dvi files at package build time?

Regards, Frank
-- 
Dr. Frank Küster
Single Molecule Spectroscopy, Protein Folding @ Inst. f. Biochemie, Univ. Zürich
Debian Developer (teTeX/TeXLive)