Re: microtype for texinfo

[Karl Berry]

    If the output is better with microtype on, we should try to have it on.

If Texinfo has microtype on by default, I agree the LaTeX backend should
also have microtype on by default. That's fine.

    microtypee off if is causes issues in LaTeX output, 

Are you talking about the typewriter thing, or in general?

In general, there are no "issues" with using microtype. The microtype
LaTeX package author (Robert Schlicht) goes to a great deal of effort to
make it work seamlessly. The LaTeX format cannot enable it by default
due to compatibility, that's all.

Regarding typewriter: I reiterate the need to turn it off for display
environments. I haven't had a chance to look for the example to prove it
yet, but it is most certainly needed (do you really doubt me?). In
LaTeX, this amounts to calling \microtypesetup{activate=false} at the
beginning of verbatim/other tt-default environments.

For texinfo.tex, either this should be done or the typewriter font not
enabled for microtype.

    but my feeling is
    that this is the symptom of something wrong being done with fonts
    selection in the LaTeX output, not an issue with microtype as such.

There is "nothing wrong" with font selection in LaTeX that I can
imagine. What are you talking about?

Of course things can easily be misconfigured at any level, causing every
kind of problem. That doesn't mean there is something "wrong" per se.
There is sure no bug to fix on the LaTeX side, anyway. --best, karl.