Re: (fwd) Bug#792328: info: can no longer find the Emacs manual

[Gavin Smith]

On 19 July 2015 at 22:36, Karl Berry <address@hidden> wrote:
>             /usr/share/info/emacs-24/emacs.info.gz
>
> FWIW, to the best of my knowledge, $(infodir) has always been a flat
> directory, and dir files a flat namespace.  The problem of multiple
> versions, similar to multiple languages, has never been satisfactorily
> resolved.  This is the first time I have ever seen subdirectories being
> used in this way.  I don't like it and don't know of anything anywhere
> claims it is supported, let alone recommended.
>
> The only reliable way I know of is to have different names for the info
> files (emacs24.info, ccmode24.info, etc.).  Problematic I know, but
> every solution I have ever seen proposed, including this one, is problematic.

I don't think it's a big problem in the first place. It's little worse
than having multiple versions of a program installed and managing to
run the one you want.

Say Emacs 24 is installed as /usr/bin/emacs24, then the Info file
could be at /usr/share/info/emacs24.info. Likewise if there's a
symbolic link /usr/bin/emacs -> /usr/bin/emacs24, there could just as
well be a symbolic link /usr/share/info/emacs24.info ->
/usr/share/info/emacs.info. I don't see why using subdirectories
should be necessary for this.