Re: rethinking @def*

[Werner LEMBERG]

>> IMHO, it's quite simple: All output formats, i.e., TeX, HTML, and
>> the new LaTeX backend, should produce identical output if
>> technically possible – and for LaTeX it's definitely possible :-)
>> Anything else makes texinfo harder to use.
> 
> I can't see why having different output makes texinfo harder to use.
> Having all output identical does not seem to me to be a goal of
> Texinfo formatting.  To me an important element of the Texinfo
> philosophy is that the Texinfo code describes the intent of the
> document, not the formatting.  As long as the formatting convey this
> intent, the details of the formatting are not relevant and
> differences among outputs are not an issue.

I disagree.  Just imagine that warnings in TeX are shown in red, and
recommendations are typeset in green.  In HTML, warnings are shown in
green, and recommendations in red.  Would you consider this as 'not
relevant'?  For me, such a difference would be unacceptable – warnings
would have to be typeset in red.

I believe there are certain formatting expectations that must not be
violated, else documentation is very hard to read.

> TeX and LaTeX are very similar, such that it would make sense to try
> to have similar formatting too.  But similar is not the same, even
> if technically possible.  For instance, it is possible to tune the
> LaTeX output to have the same spacing before chapters, same
> formatting of chapter title presentation than in TeX PDF output, but
> I think that it is not a good idea to do so.

Here I fully agree.  What I'm mainly talking about is the selection of
font attributes for meta stuff, variables, and the like.


     Werner