Re: bookmarks for concept index

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Sun, 05 May 2002 16:44:08 +0200 (CEST)
> From: Werner LEMBERG <address@hidden>
> 
> > Not true: if the user changes the Texinfo sources, she needs
> > makeinfo that can process the modified sources.  The freedom to
> > change the docs is an important part of free software goals.
> 
> But shall we in that case really support a texinfo version from, say,
> 1995?

1995 is too old, I'd say.  But it would be certainly nice to support
2 previous major releases.  In the case of Texinfo 4.2, that means
versions 4.0 and 3.12.

> Isn't it our right to ask for recent versions here?  Consider
> for example if you change something in configure.ac: The chances are
> high that you have to use a new autoconf version to make it work.  I
> can't see a fundamental difference between source code files and
> documentation.

Granted, there's a balance to strike here.  All I'm asking for is to
try to preserve compatibility as much as possible, even when
introducing new language features.  It is up to Karl to decide whether
that is a reasonable request, and if so, how to apply it to any given
case.

> The process of modifying a texinfo file belongs to the
> `maintainer' category, and people should have the necessary tools
> IMHO.

People should indeed have the necessary tools, but not necessarily the
latest versions of those tools.  Forcing them to upgrade one tool in
many cases requires to upgrade others as well; at the extreme, people
will need to upgrade their tools all the time instead of doing
something useful with them.  That would be an unbearable plight for
many of them.