Re: rethinking @def*

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2022 16:20:13 +0200
> From: pertusus@free.fr
> Cc: bug-texinfo@gnu.org
> 
> On Tue, Jul 26, 2022 at 11:31:27AM +0000, Werner LEMBERG wrote:
> > 
> > ... I consider this a bad idea.  Whatever you are going to change, it
> > will be backward incompatible, causing a lot of grief.
> 
> Another reason for changing the formatting is that there is a new output
> format being implemented, to LaTeX.  Should the 'flawed' semantics be
> used for that new output format too, mimicking TeX output even when it
> does not make sense?  Or should the new output be more in line with
> something more consistent?  None of those options seem appealing to me.

Changing long-standing behavior is hard.  But IMO we must think about
our users, make it easier for them to migrate to the new behavior, and
also allow those who for some reasons want it to stay with the old
behavior.  Texinfo is a veteran package with many users, so abrupt
breaking changes with no "fire escape" are bound to break someone's
setup.