Message-Id: <9311090103.AA08945@sc.ZIB-Berlin.DE>
Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
Date:         Tue, 9 Nov 93 12:03:55 +1100
From: Douglas Miller <dougcc@BRT.DEAKIN.EDU.AU>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
To: Multiple Recipients of <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
Subject:      Re: the name NFSS
Status: R


Date: Mon, 8 Nov 93 08:33:15 SET
From: Goossens Michel <GOOSSENS%CERNVM.BITNET@vm.gmd.de>

> Moreover,  VM/CMS  being  _older_  than   DOS,  it  does  NOT  have  a
> hierarchical file structure, thus all files  are on the same level, so
> that I  cannot "hide" files with  the same name, but  corresponding to
> different versions of LaTeX in different directories

Well this makes your life pretty difficult.  If you really need to
keep different versions of LaTeX, then the LaTeX *version* should be
reflected in the file (not a historical artifact like "nf").  I agree
with Jiri Zlatuska that the best place for this is in the file type,
e.g., Jiri's suggestion of ".s2e" for LaTeX 2e.  I wouldn't want to
see this as manndatory, i.e., LaTeX should still work with style files
called "*.sty", for compatibility with the majortity of users who
don't need to run multiple versions, or who do need to run multiple
versions but have a file system that can cope (e.g., has multiple
directories).

> So I prefer  to have the name  of the font indicate to  which class of
> packages it  belongs.  And,  if you look,  then Timothy's  van Zandt's
> popular pstricks  and seminar  packages have file  names limited  to 8
> characters and  all starting with  pst- or sem.

And surely the file type ".sty" indicates that "times.sty" et al
indicates that these files are part of the LaTeX package?

> I  therefore consider
> the prefix  nf (New Font or  whatever) as a means  to know immediately
> that I am dealing  with files to do with fonts  (probably nf should be
> lf, for "latex  font").

I don't accept that it is necessary or even possible to distinguish
"font" style files from other style files.  What is a "font" stle file
anyway?   Suppose I make a style file that changes a lot of the
default fonts of the base stle, and also introduces some changes to
list indentation and numbering, what kind of style file is that?

> Also  for installing the  system, it is much  easier to
> copy  all files  associated  with the  package  together, rather  than
> having  a  list   with  times.sty,  avant.sty,  helv.sty   (or  is  it
> helvetic.sty, helve.sty?)..

Maybe I'm missing something here, but what is wong with "copy *.sty
..."?

--
Douglas Miller <douglas.miller@brt.deakin.edu.au>
Computing and Communications Services, Deakin University
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