Re: Documentation for "Clone Buffers" (corrected version)

[David Kastrup]

Eli Zaretskii <address@hidden> writes:

> > Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:55:54 +0000 (GMT)
> > From: Alan Mackenzie <address@hidden>
> > 
> > 1/- It should be complete and accurate.
> > 2/- The printed and online versions should be the same.
> > 3/- The printed version should not be too big.
> > 
> > We can decide upon any two of these, but we can't have all three
> > at the same time.  :-(
> 
> Yes we can: we could make a separate manual that isn't printed as part
> of the Emacs manual.  Then users can print it on their own.
> 
> We already do that for several major Emacs features.

In the TeXbook by Knuth, we have "dangerous bend" sections marked by
the corresponding traffic sign, and "double dangerous bend" marked by
two such signs.  Those sections are printed in smaller print and
indicate increasingly complicated material that the normal user will
not usually need to bother himself with.

If one would mark up sections in the Emacs manual (or other info
manuals) like that, one could generate a normal user manual and a more
expensive (complete) expert manual where the user manual omits the
more complicated stuff.  The online version would be complete, but
maybe fold the more intricated stuff unless indicated otherwise by
variable settings or unless a search or index search hits there.  With
regard to index searches, one would probably exhaust the "simple"
sections first before going into the "complicated" ones.

Whether this is a good idea is a different question.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum