Re: [Chicken-users] Documentation

[Peter Keller]

On Fri, Aug 16, 2002 at 10:28:52PM -0400, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> "Perry E. Metzger" <address@hidden> writes:
> > Given all this, it seems Texinfo might be the right thing, at least
> > for the main manual.
> 
> Having been fighting with TeXinfo for the first time for the last day
> or so, let me say this, clearly and succinctly:
> 
> What a piece of CRAP!

Hey, I warned you guys. :)

> Er, perhaps that's unprofessional of me. Let me restate it.
> 
> TeXinfo appears to be a powerfully odoriferous fertilizing
> substance. As with the most common odoriferous fertilizer, perhaps the
> things you plant in it grow nicely, but that does not mean working hip
> deep in it is pleasant. I may come to regret thinking this was a good
> idea.

Honestly, LaTeX is the way to go. The only place where it gets complicated
to use is when you want to change margin sizes and certain parameters about
page sizes and spacing. But even then, it is very well documented. Usually
though, people don't change that crazy stuff because the defaults are what
everyone uses.

Your main manual tex file could literally look like this:

----
\documentclass[12pt,letterpaper,notitlepage]{article}
\begin{document}
\relax

\include{titlepage.tex}
\include{chapter1.tex}
\include{chapter2.tex}
\include{chapter3.tex}
\include{chapter4.tex}
\include{appendix1.tex}
\include{appendix2.tex}
\include{acknowledgements.tex}

\end{document}
----

It is just a huge heirarchical tree of stuff.

Of course, you'll maybe need to use a different document class, but then I'd
have to get up to get my LaTeX book to remember that. :)

I know a lot of LaTeX and can help set up the preliminary design of the 
manual(like the makefiles to produce the html and stuff like that, table
of contents, index, etc).

I implore people to experiment with LaTeX.

-pete

P.S. I am not above retracting my decision for TexInfo if it is discovered
to be a piece of shiat. :)

P.P.S. Ok, I'm sorry, I'm such a zealot. I am out of control!