Re: 1.0

[Dirk.Eddelbuettel@qed.econ.queensu.ca]

  Matthew Swift writes, replying to a note of mine  

  Matt> If you have emacs and auctex and w3, then your emacs will load
  Matt> w3-init.el and tex-site.el even with "-q -batch" mode?  That's
  Matt> inefficient, and requires a change in /usr/lib to correct.

Well, you either install packages or you don't. If you install something, we
assume you want to use it. That's why the lines that load these files are
written into /etc/site-start.el.

  Matt> The TeX distribution doesn't build an ls-R database.  

I agree, and I discussed this in private with the TeX maintainer.  Let's both
not forget that has done a great job with the TeX packages (compare it to the
situation in, say, the spring). There's always room for improvement but don't
forget that he has a job. Maintaining all these TeX packages is no small job/

  Matt> I installed a new kernel of my own compiling in /boot.  It's more
  Matt> efficient.

Obviously. I never questioned that.

  Matt> The local "Debian home page" installed in /home/httpd-data points to
  Matt> /usr/doc/hyperlatex/examples when it should point to
  Matt> /usr/doc/hyperlatex.

Please point that out to the respective maintainers.

  Matt> Since Emacs (surprisingly) does not have a reliable transparent
  Matt> interface to .gz files, I've had to uncompress a lot of things in
  Matt> /usr/doc in order to read them conveniently.

Douglas Bates pointed out in private mail to us how to add support for this.
I didn't even need it because the Debian emacs I installed came with
	(load "/usr/lib/emacs/19.29/lisp/jka-compr.elc")
in /etc/site-start.el (which is a mini-bug because I version-dependent path I
had to adapt to 19.29 when I upgraded last. Hm, just checked emacs.postinst
and noticed that this is done anymore).

Matthew, if you have improvements to make to Debian, please join the club. 
Debian is a volunteer effort and can always do with some input.

--
Dirk.Eddelbuettel@qed.econ.queensu.ca          http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/~edd