

Debian bug report logs - #599
xman uses g* names for groff (Re: Bug#597)

Package: xbaseR6 ; Reported by: iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson); 96
days old .
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From: iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson)
To: debian-bugs@pixar.com
Subject: xman uses g* names for groff (Re: Bug#597)

Package: xbaseR6
Version: 0.93-7

James A. Robinson writes ("Bug#597: xman and groff/gtbl/geqn"):
> > Package: groff
> > Version: 1.09-0
> >
> > While groff includes groff, it doesn't include gtbl (or geqn).
> > However, the g* interface is needed by other programs (e.g. xman).
> > gtbl, etc. should probably be included with groff.
> 
> He already uploaded a new package that did this.  BTW, I *personally*
> feel it would be more professional to have us compile our programs to
> use eqn, tbl, pic, etc.  BUT I realize that there are a lot of
> packages out there that try and use the g* files instead. <shrug>

I agree, and I consider this to be a bug in xman.  Hence this bug
report.

Groff should probably provide the g* links anyway for broken packages,
but that does seem to me like the wrong place to fix the problem.

We should be careful not to allow ourselves to solve problems by
changing non-broken packages rather than broken ones merely because
their maintainers are less busy or the packages are smaller and easier
to rebuild or whatever.

Ian.
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Message sent:


From: iwj10@thor.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson)
To: iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson)
Subject: Bug#599: Acknowledgement (was: xman uses g* names for groff 
(Re: Bug#597))
In-Reply-To: <m0rp4T2-0002gOZ.ijackson@nyx.cs.du.edu>
References: <m0rp4T2-0002gOZ.ijackson@nyx.cs.du.edu>

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Subject: Bug#599: xman uses g* names for groff (Re: Bug#597)
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From: iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson)
To: debian-bugs@pixar.com

Package: xbaseR6
Version: 0.93-7

James A. Robinson writes ("Bug#597: xman and groff/gtbl/geqn"):
> > Package: groff
> > Version: 1.09-0
> >
> > While groff includes groff, it doesn't include gtbl (or geqn).
> > However, the g* interface is needed by other programs (e.g. xman).
> > gtbl, etc. should probably be included with groff.
>
> He already uploaded a new package that did this.  BTW, I *personally*
> feel it would be more professional to have us compile our programs to
> use eqn, tbl, pic, etc.  BUT I realize that there are a lot of
> packages out there that try and use the g* files instead. <shrug>

I agree, and I consider this to be a bug in xman.  Hence this bug
report.

Groff should probably provide the g* links anyway for broken packages,
but that does seem to me like the wrong place to fix the problem.

We should be careful not to allow ourselves to solve problems by
changing non-broken packages rather than broken ones merely because
their maintainers are less busy or the packages are smaller and easier
to rebuild or whatever.

Ian.

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