Re: REVISED groff 1.24.0 readiness status, and release notes

[Deri]

On Sunday, 17 November 2024 04:42:47 GMT G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> At 2024-11-17T00:44:50+0000, Deri wrote:
> > On Saturday, 16 November 2024 15:34:36 GMT G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> > > (Even if the in-band singaling was your invention, I have found that in
> > > no situation where I was looking at pdf.tmac and failed to find
> > > documentation I desired, did pdfmark.tmac or pdfmark.pdf leave me any
> > > the wiser.)
> > 
> > There are many examples dotted around where you have opined about your
> > difficulty understanding the code in pdf.tmac and pdfmark.tmac,
> > further evidenced by you actually breaking the code whilst I was on my
> > sabbatical.
> 
> Okay.  I have added 3 tickets to the release goals.
> 
> https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?64484
> https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?66452
> https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?66453
> 
> I withdraw my plans to make a groff 1.24.0 release candidate until your
> expectations of our PDF support are met, and I ask you to name people
> from the groff development team that you regard as competent to
> address these issues.
> 
> Regards,
> Branden

Hi Branden,

I have dealt with this elsewhere, so I will just copy it here to save my 
typing.

========================================+=================================

> Well, on the bright(?) side, the release might be delayed for a while
> anyway, given that I have some documentation to write and, in your
> assessment, a low order of intellect with which to compose it.
>
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2024-11/msg00131.html

I don't think I have ever cast aspersions about your ability to document
groff, so I have no doubt you would make a great job replacing pdfmark.ms,
combining stuff from gropdf.1 and comments in pdf.tmac. In fact I know you are
so thorough it is likely you are likely to find plenty of bugs around the
seldom used edges of pdf.tmac.

The message you reference does not question your intellect. On a number of
occasions you have stated you found the coding style of pdfmark.tmac/pdf.tmac
opaque and difficult to navigate. I sympathise - it is - it took me awhile to
fully understand Keiths code, but I do admire it. Any criticism in that post
is not aimed at your intellect, rather it is a disappointment you fired off
about 16 commits to pdf.tmac just after I went on sabbatical, so no
discussion, to pdf.tmac, a file which you said you had difficulty with, which
resulted in bugs being introduced. 

The fault is not a lack of intellect, if there is one, it may be in over
confidence in changing a file which you claimed to not  fully understand.

==============================================================================

Cheers

Deri