Re: microtype for texinfo

[Karl Berry]

Hi Gavin,

    I've committed the code and set it on by default.  It is controlled
    by @microtype on|off.

Thanks!!

    makes me suspect that special treatment of @example and @verbatim
    may not be required, 

I'm pretty sure it is.

    as these environments are not filled and lines
    are not stretched to the text width.  

Microtype can change things even in this kind of case.

    I didn't notice any problems with vertical alignment in code
    examples with this change.

I guess I'll have to try to dig out my old examples that failed with
LaTeX.  LaTeX verbatim is effectively the same as Texinfo
@example/verbatim in this regard -- no filling, no stretching -- and
microtype definitely screwed up the left margin and/or character
alignment on occasion. The letters A and V starting a line were
particularly susceptible, as I recall.

It will take me some time to figure this out. It was a lot of years ago
that I turned it off in LaTeX verbatim blocks.

    could question whether we want to add the @microtype command that is
    only used with texinfo.tex.  

Well, I agree with you, but many commands started life as variables
(@set kbdinputstyle and such) and were changed (at Patrice's
suggestion/request/demand, as I recall :) because it seemed better to
have uniform treatment of such customizations across both texinfo.tex
and texi2any. I don't think any such @set variables are left as the
recommended way to change things?

Admittedly (most of?) those could/did have an effect in HTML too.
I suppose one could make a theoretical argument that someday HTML might
support microtype (though personally I hope not).

    However, I don't see an alternative.

@set tximicrotype on|off

But I think keeping it a command, as you have it, is preferable, for
consistency. --thanks again, karl.