Refcard for Gnus

Refcard for Gnus

[Reiner Steib]

Hi,

currently the Reference Card for Gnus is not included in Emacs.  I
think it should be included.

Gnus refcard.ps and refcard.pdf are created by running latex/dvips (or
pdflatex resp.) on a refcard.tex (a completely different file compared
to etc/refcard.tex in Emacs).  Other files used are
gnuslogo-refcard.eps (and gnuslogo-refcard.pdf; generated using
epstopdf).

Is it necessary that all input files required to produce refcard.ps
(or refcard.pdf) are included in Emacs or would it be sufficient to
add only the resulting PS (or PDF) file as gnus-ref.ps (gnus-ref.pdf)?

If all files should be included, we would need the following files.
We may stick to the original names if we create a subdirectory
etc/gnus, else we should rename them, I think.

  Bytes  Original name           proposed new name

   1792  Makefile [1]            gnus-Makefile
    539  bk-a4.tex               gnus-bk-a4.tex
    542  bk-lt.tex               gnus-bk-lt.tex
   3851  booklet.tex             gnus-booklet.tex
   5279  refcard.tex             gnus-ref.tex
  64315  gnuslogo-booklet.eps    gnuslogo-booklet.eps
   5807  gnuslogo-refcard.eps    gnuslogo-refcard.eps
  54730  gnusref.tex [2]         gnusref.tex

[1] Simplified version of Gnus texi/Makefile
[2] Main input file used by gnus-refcard.tex, ...

Bye, Reiner.
-- 
       ,,,
      (o o)
---ooO-(_)-Ooo---  |  PGP key available  |  http://rsteib.home.pages.de/

Re: Refcard for Gnus

[Richard Stallman]

Please forgive me for taking a long time to follow up on this.
I was too busy to really think about it when your message came in,
so I saved the message.

    currently the Reference Card for Gnus is not included in Emacs.  I
    think it should be included.

It would be good to include it.

    Is it necessary that all input files required to produce refcard.ps
    (or refcard.pdf) are included in Emacs or would it be sufficient to
    add only the resulting PS (or PDF) file as gnus-ref.ps (gnus-ref.pdf)?

Inclusion of the source code is an ethical imperative.
    currently the Reference Card for Gnus is not included in Emacs.  I
    think it should be included.

    Gnus refcard.ps and refcard.pdf are created by running latex/dvips (or
    pdflatex resp.) on a refcard.tex (a completely different file compared
    to etc/refcard.tex in Emacs).  Other files used are
    gnuslogo-refcard.eps (and gnuslogo-refcard.pdf; generated using
    epstopdf).

    Is it necessary that all input files required to produce refcard.ps
    (or refcard.pdf) are included in Emacs or would it be sufficient to
    add only the resulting PS (or PDF) file as gnus-ref.ps (gnus-ref.pdf)?

    If all files should be included, we would need the following files.
    We may stick to the original names if we create a subdirectory
    etc/gnus, else we should rename them, I think.

      Bytes  Original name           proposed new name

       1792  Makefile [1]            gnus-Makefile

Why does this need makefile rules?  Assuming there is a real need for
them, we should put the rules into etc/Makefile, rather than making
a separate file.

	539  bk-a4.tex               gnus-bk-a4.tex
	542  bk-lt.tex               gnus-bk-lt.tex
       3851  booklet.tex             gnus-booklet.tex
       5279  refcard.tex             gnus-ref.tex
      54730  gnusref.tex [2]         gnusref.tex

What role does each of those files play?

The Emacs refcard is just one file.  Can the Gnus refcard be
just one file?

Re: Refcard for Gnus

[Reiner Steib]

On Wed, Dec 29 2004, Richard Stallman wrote:

>     currently the Reference Card for Gnus is not included in Emacs.  I
>     think it should be included.
>
> It would be good to include it.

Could someone check if Vladimir Alexiev <vladimir@cs.ualberta.ca>,
Felix Natter <fnatter@gmx.net> and Luis Fernandes have copyright
assignments on file?  Else I will try to find out if their changes
require assignments.

,----[ gnusref.tex ]
|     Copyright \copyright\ 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc.\\*
|     Copyright \copyright\ 1995 Vladimir Alexiev
|     $<$vladimir@cs.ualberta.ca$>$.\\*
|     Copyright \copyright\ 2000 Felix Natter $<$fnatter@gmx.net$>$.\\*
|     Copyright \copyright\ 2001, 2002, 2003 \author.\\*
|     Created from the Gnus manual Copyright \copyright\ 1994 Lars Magne
|     Ingebrigtsen.\\*
|     and the Emacs Help Bindings feature (C-h b).\\*
|     Gnus logo copyright \copyright\ 1995 Luis Fernandes.\\*
`----


[ Changed order of quoting: ]

> The Emacs refcard is just one file.  Can the Gnus refcard be
> just one file?

If we resign from some "features", we could put it in just one LaTeX
file: a combination (say gnus-refcard.tex) of gnusref.tex and
refcard.tex.  Missing features would be: No graphical Gnus logo on the
reference card and no reference booklet.  If we want to keep the logo,
we need two files: gnus-refcard.tex and gnuslogo-refcard.eps.

If we go for one of those two options ((a) one LaTeX file or (b) one
LaTeX plus eps logo), syncing of the LaTeX file between Gnus and Emacs
would have to be done manually.  But it is not very hard, because the
content doesn't change often.  I would recommend to take one of these
options.

For completeness, I'll explain the other files a well.  You may skip
the rest of this article if you agree to (a) or (b).

> What role does each of those files play?

      54730  gnusref.tex [2]         gnusref.tex

Main input file.  It provides the actual content of the refcard (6
pages, two column layout) and reference booklet (20 pages, one column
layout) as LaTeX macros.

       5279  refcard.tex             gnus-ref.tex

LaTeX document for the reference card.  Needs gnusref.tex and a
graphical Gnus logo (gnuslogo-refcard.eps; or *.pdf generated using
epstopdf).

        539  bk-a4.tex               gnus-bk-a4.tex
        542  bk-lt.tex               gnus-bk-lt.tex

Small LaTeX wrapper files for the reference booklet (A4 and letter
paper size).  Needs [gnus-]booklet.tex (specifies layout and content),
gnusref.tex and a bigger graphical Gnus logo (gnuslogo-booklet.eps; or
*.pdf generated using epstopdf).

>        1792  Makefile [1]            gnus-Makefile
>
> Why does this need makefile rules?  

The user can create DVI, PS and PDF versions of the reference card and
booklet (for different paper sizes: a4 and letter).  The PDF versions
require the logo as PDF file which is generated by Makefile rules.
There are also Makefile rules for the paper size, e.g. you can say
"make PAPERSIZE=letter gnus-booklet.ps" to get the reference booklet
for letter paper.

> Assuming there is a real need for them, we should put the rules into
> etc/Makefile, rather than making a separate file.

The simplified Makefile (only stuff for refcard and booklet) has
around 50 lines.  It's easier to maintain when it is kept separate if
we include the booklet version, too.

Bye, Reiner.
-- 
       ,,,
      (o o)
---ooO-(_)-Ooo---  |  PGP key available  |  http://rsteib.home.pages.de/

Re: Refcard for Gnus

[Miles Bader]

> > The Emacs refcard is just one file.  Can the Gnus refcard be
> > just one file?
> 
> If we resign from some "features", we could put it in just one LaTeX
> file: a combination (say gnus-refcard.tex) of gnusref.tex and
> refcard.tex.  Missing features would be: No graphical Gnus logo on the
> reference card and no reference booklet.

Gnus is sufficiently complex that a short "reference booklet" would
seem rather more useful than a simple "refcard"; why not keep both in
Emacs?

-Miles

Re: Refcard for Gnus

[Reiner Steib]

On Thu, Dec 30 2004, Miles Bader wrote:

>> If we resign from some "features", we could put it in just one LaTeX
>> file: a combination (say gnus-refcard.tex) of gnusref.tex and
>> refcard.tex.  Missing features would be: No graphical Gnus logo on the
>> reference card and no reference booklet.
>
> Gnus is sufficiently complex that a short "reference booklet" would
> seem rather more useful than a simple "refcard"; why not keep both in
> Emacs?

The content of refcard and booklet is the same (AFAICS), only the
layout is different:

refcard: 6 pages, two column layout
reference booklet: 20 pages, one column layout

Bye, Reiner.
-- 
       ,,,
      (o o)
---ooO-(_)-Ooo---  |  PGP key available  |  http://rsteib.home.pages.de/

Re: Refcard for Gnus

[Miles Bader]

> The content of refcard and booklet is the same (AFAICS), only the
> layout is different:
> 
> refcard: 6 pages, two column layout
> reference booklet: 20 pages, one column layout

Wow!  Does the refcard use extremely small fonts, or is the booklet
full of whitespace...?

-Miles

Re: Refcard for Gnus

[Reiner Steib]

[ Resent.  This one didn't make it to the list:
  Date: Fri Dec 31 13:10:24 2004 +0100
  Message-ID: <v9oegafz2n.fsf@marauder.physik.uni-ulm.de> ]

On Fri, Dec 31 2004, Miles Bader wrote:

>> The content of refcard and booklet is the same (AFAICS), only the
>> layout is different:
>> 
>> refcard: 6 pages, two column layout
>> reference booklet: 20 pages, one column layout
>
> Wow!  Does the refcard use extremely small fonts, or is the booklet
> full of whitespace...?

The refcard uses smaller fonts.  I think the booklet is supposed to be
printed with two pages per a4 or letter sheet, i.e. printed on a4 or
letter paper it only fills half of the sheet.

Bye, Reiner.

PS: Miles, could you please move the Gnus image files if you find time
    to do it?  (See the thread "Where to put images for lisp
    packages?".)  Else we should make a remark in FOR-RELEASE about
    it.
-- 
       ,,,
      (o o)
---ooO-(_)-Ooo---  |  PGP key available  |  http://rsteib.home.pages.de/

Re: Refcard for Gnus

[Richard Stallman]

    The content of refcard and booklet is the same (AFAICS), only the
    layout is different:

    refcard: 6 pages, two column layout
    reference booklet: 20 pages, one column layout

It seems that the second option doesn't really add anything.
So I'd rather keep it simple and support just the former.