Merge plan GNU and Debian install-info

[Norbert Preining]

Hi all!

Not that we are completely finished, but the following would be layout
of the transitio:

1) Implementation of the option
        --update-dir-from-info-files    (or similar)
   to GNU i-i. This option should only read all the info files in the
   info directory and create a completely new dir file without intermediate
   parsing of dir files.

2) Create a temporary Debian i-i which calls GNU i-i with the regexp
   argument ignored (warning to the user?)
   This can already be done in a new package or within the texinfo 
   Debian package.

3) Adjust dh_installinfo to call Debian i-i without any special arguments,
   ie kill the regexp

4) File bugs and bring all packages to rebuild based on new
   debhelper or call install-info without regexp

5) rename ginstall-info to install-info and forget about the old one.


As the regexp argument in Debian i-i was more or less never used
(everyone uses dh_installinfo, which uses it in a trivial way), and the
remove-exactely I haven't seen neither, I would say that no other
cmd-line problems should arise.


ad 1)
        this is the hard part, someone has to go through the code and
        implement it: only C, nothing else.

ad 2)
        this script is already present, could be tested and debugged.
        moving the packaging to texinfo shouldn't pose any problems.

ad 3-5)
        to be done after 1) and 2).


To be sure I ask again:
- Is this ok with Karl and the texinfo maintainers?
- Is this what the dpkg maintainers have in mind?
- Would we be happy with this?


If all are ok, who can take a shoot at 1 ?


Best wishes

Norbert

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Dr. Norbert Preining <preining AT logic DOT at>             Università di Siena
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