Re: Wanted: your historical me(7) documents (was: [groff] 08/21: [me]: Integrate better with papersize.tmac.)

[Dave Kemper]

On 12/27/22, G. Branden Robinson <g.branden.robinson@gmail.com> wrote:
> At 2022-12-24T17:19:15-0600, Dave Kemper wrote:
>> The thing I was saying NEWS should mention is that for -me
>> users targeting troff, the default line length has changed from (its
>> long-entrenched historical) 6i to (the arguably saner) 6.5i.
>
> Well, maybe just quoting the NEWS file in its current state would help.
>
> o On typestting output devices, the e (me) macro package now derives the
>   line length from the device description, which can be overriden by the
>   "papersize.tmac" macro file (usually configured via the "-d paper"
>   groff command-line option).  The package thus adapts to landscape
>   orientation and paper formats other than U.S. letter.  It continues to
>   use a line length of 6 (notional) inches on terminals.
>
> Does that seem to get the right information across?

To me, it doesn't quite, though others should weigh in if they feel
I'm off the mark.

I read "can be overridden" as applying to the rest of that sentence,
and the next sentence's "thus" meaning it's continuing to describe
what happens when the paper size is overridden.  The last sentence,
referring exclusively to terminal behavior, is irrelevant to my point.
Thus, by my reading, this blurb is silent on what happens in typeset
output with all default settings: when the default paper size is NOT
overridden and the document does not set a line length.

How common this scenario is, I can't guess (since your call for -me
documents went unanswered).  But it seems like we agree that the blurb
SHOULD document that this scenario changes the line length from what
-me used in every previous groff release, and part ways only on
whether the current wording DOES document that.  So I welcome anyone
else's reading on this.

If others agree, one possible remedy would be to add this penultimate
sentence: "For the default paper format of U.S. letter, this derived
line length will be 6.5 inches, a departure from the package's
historical 6-inch line length."  (This may also entail recasting the
last sentence, as this insertion makes the antecedent for "It" less
clear.)

Side note: the blurb misspells "overridden."