From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Tim McNamara Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: Program structure of Pstricks, what is its basic structure? Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 08:18:45 -0600 Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <42414174.0402221953.24c938a6@posting.google.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1077546699 29703 80.91.224.253 (23 Feb 2004 14:31:39 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 14:31:39 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Feb 23 15:31:35 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1AvH7O-0001Ds-00 for ; Mon, 23 Feb 2004 15:31:34 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1AvH6w-0003uF-NX for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 23 Feb 2004 09:31:06 -0500 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!headwall.stanford.edu!newshub.sdsu.edu!newshosting.com!nx01.iad01.newshosting.com!news-out.visi.com!petbe.visi.com!news.octanews.net!gemini.bitstream.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: comp.text.tex,comp.lang.postscript,gnu.emacs.help User-Agent: Gnus/5.1006 (Gnus v5.10.6) Emacs/21.3.50 (darwin) Cancel-Lock: sha1:TvrmqiHDXQrw5YWBOCFB30p9Hbo= Original-Lines: 75 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 8b0464bb.news.bitstream.net Original-X-Trace: 1077545928 gemini.bitstream.net 434 216.243.177.155 Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@bitstream.net Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu comp.text.tex:271392 comp.lang.postscript:76656 gnu.emacs.help:121141 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:17093 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:17093 crashedandburnt1@hotmail.com (Crashedandburnt) writes: > Herbert Voss wrote in message > news: >> The problem is, that there is no documentation about this low level >> structure. > > I am sorry to report a telephone conversation that I had some years > ago with the author of this package. I vaguely remember his exact > name, Timothy van zandt or sth like that. But what I clearly > remember is that he was some kind of economist and wrote this > package to write his book(s). He said that Leslie Lamport has made > millions from his LaTeXbook and he expects [big] money for his > package. He said that he has not released documentation on the > package and will not release the documentation on how it works. I > asked how he knew LL had made million? He said, just look at the > printings, it has over a million. Assuming LL gets a dollar for the > royalty, he has made a million bucks. Welcome to the normal world: people want to get rich from their efforts. Is this a surprise to you? Of course, this genteleman is deluded if he thinks the publishing industry is going to let him get millions of dollars from the sale of a book about software! People write these things with dolar signs in their eyes, but thepower structure of the publishing industry is so slanted that authors see almost no compensation for their work. > The conclusion I want to present to the readership is the following. > Only Richard Stallman, and Linus Trovalds are the true gnu/free > software people. Gnu is coming with good books and manuals on the > software. That's rather insulting to the thousands of people managing and maintaining free software packages. > But Donald Knuth and others are all using free software slogan for > their virus software. The Texbook is not available free, LEGALLY. It > cannot be re-formed. Knuth has made millions off his books. Omega > and Lout are emerging as strong competitors to TeX. Unless there is > real free software, with good documentation on its usage and > implemenation, it is not free software, but a virus software. Oh puh-leeze. Let's not get carried away. Commercial software is not virus software. Sheesh. > If a group of volunteers want to save TeX/LaTeX, what is needed is > to combine existing free manuals into a single good and > comprehensive free manual. I can assure you, if it is free, tons of > people will contribute to it, and Knuth+Lamport+Timothy's books and > manuals will be obsolete overnight. What we need is a trust worthy > coordinator like Mr Richard Stallman. An independently wealthy coordinator? While I agree with darn near every word in _Free Software, Free Society_, Stallman does gloss over the fundamental desire people have to make a living. Writing free software is not a great business model for the purpose of profitability, no matter its importance socially. It is intended to be "free as in speech," but most users will treat it as "free as in beer." > Knuth's book is scrap. It is convoluted by malice or twist of his > mind. It mixes advanced usage with basics. For contrast, compare, for > example, the Adobe cookbook or thinking in postscript. I pick > postscript because it is as extensive as TeX in its functions. CB has > a very nicely organized glossary. Knuth wrote his book to impress his > colleagues so that he can get an early retirement from Stanford by > dominating his colleagues. This is exactly what the abuse of software > to control the world is, and what Richard Stallman is crusading > against. Gnu is now active in the next phase of its mission which is > quality documentation. But since TeX is not FSF software, they are not > likely to focus on it. Someone active in this group is gonna have to > do that. How about you?