Re: easy install and man-like behavior

[Jorgen Schaefer]

"Stefan Monnier" <address@hidden> writes:

> I have no trouble installing TeXinfo documentation and really like using
> it, but I still have trouble when advocating it because it's a bit more
> difficult to install and use than manpages.

You focus on the install part.

> I think the info program should allow more man-like usage:
> 
> - `cp foo.info /usr/local/info; info foo' should work.
>   This means that `info foo' should find `foo' even if it's not in any
>   `dir' file (just like the whatis database is not needed for man to find
>   the manpage).

I agree that this is a good feature, possibly even additionally
using an environment variable INFO_PATH, with info looking in
each of those directories.  Either before or after looking
through the path, the info program could use the dir file.

> - `info libc scanf' should find the scanf entry in the index rather
>   than complain that there is no menu entry for `scanf' in the toplevel
>   of the `libc' manpage.

Why?  Info pages are hierarchical, which is illustrated quite
well with the top/entry/entry search.  Maybe it would be useful
to try to find the node "scanf" in the libc info page if the menu
scanf can't be found, but that's debatable.

> - A well-installed system should automatically update the dir files
>   from a cron job, so that `cp foo.info /usr/local/info' is *really* all it
>   takes to install an info document.

A well-installed system usually doesn't change most of it's info
pages in quite some time, so a cronjob is a waste.

Just a thought... maybe, if after  info foo  info doesn't find a
foo info file (either in dir or in PATH), it could see if it
finds a .texi file, and if so, run makeinfo on it to produce an
info file in an info spool directory.

But i think this is more useful in a seperate info wrapper than
in info itself, it's rarely desired.

Besides, installing info files should always be done using
install-info, and by a programmer.  This makes the whole process
simple, and programmers should be able to do it right anyways.

HTH,
        -- forcer

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