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%%% @LaTeX3-article{ LaTeX3-VT16-01,
%%% filename = "vt16d01.tex",
%%% archived = "ctan:/tex-archive/info/ltx3pub/",
%%% author = "Rolf Lindgren",
%%% doc-group = "Volunteer task VT16",
%%% title = "Preliminary report on {\LaTeX} style
%%% options to be converted to {\LaTeX3}",
%%% version = "1.02",
%%% date = "02 April 1993",
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[email protected]",
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%%% abstract = "",
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%%%
%%% Here's status on the LaTeX 2.09 -> LaTeX 3.0 options
%%% maintainance questionnaire.
%%%
%%%
%%%
\documentstyle{l3ms001}
\def\beginQ{%
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{p{4.5cm}p{4.5cm}}}
\def\endQ{%
\end{tabular}
\end{center}}
\date{02 April 1993 \\
Version 1.02}
\author{Rolf Lindgren} \title{Preliminary report on \LaTeX{} style
options\thanks{The notion ``style option'' to be elaborated upon
shortly} to be converted to \LaTeX{} 3}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\section{Preface}
During a discussion on the LATEX-L mailing list, devoted to the
\LaTeX{} 3 project, a discussion arose as to what level of
compitibility to maintain between \LaTeX{} 2.09 and \LaTeX{} 3.
In a nutshell, there will not be perfect compatibility. Therefore, the
most important macro packages will have to be translated. I was
volunteered ({\em sic!\/}) by Frank Mittelbach and others to find out
which macro packages should be converted to LaTeX{} 3.
A questionnaire that addresses this issue has been created, and has
been tested on a German \TeX{} user's group. I will address each item
in turn, then outline the conclusions I have drawn, and finally
outline the new and improved questiuonnaire.
\section{The pretest}.
The pretest consists of six items, some with open-ended, others with
close-ended questions. $N=36$.
\subsection{Question 1}
\beginQ What are the most common uses of \LaTeX{} at your installatin?
& Welches sind die hauftigsten \LaTeX-Anwendungen auf Ihrer
Installation ? \\ \endQ
1 had not answered 1 had misunderstood the question and believed we
asked for \LaTeX{} options.
Most had at least 4 uses. I do not elaborate on them, due to my lack of
German.
\LaTeX{} is being used for all conceivable purposes (and some
inconceivaible, and a few that doesn't fall into either category).
\section{Question 2}
\beginQ
Please name the ten most commonly used LaTeX style files in your
installation. If you use locally modified versions, please state the
name of the originals. & Bitte nennen Sie die zehn am haeufigsten
benutzten LaTeX-Style-Files an Ihrer Installation. Wenn Sie lokal
modifizierte Versionen benutzen, so nennen Sie bitte den Namen des
Originals. \\ \endQ
The most used options were
\begin{tabular}{rlrl}
29& german & 3& titlepage\\
29& article & 3& pictex \\
19& letter & 3& parskip\\
12& report & 3& multicol \\
11& book & 3& fancyheadings\\
9& refman & 3& epic \\
8& twocolumn & 3& art11\\
6& twoside & 2& verbatim \\
7& supertab & 3& slides \\
6& dina4 & 2& layout \\
7& a4 & 2& expdlist \\
5& supertabular & 2& eepic\\
5& 12pt & 2& brief\\
5& 11pt & 2& art12\\
4& multicolumn& 2& art10\\
4& epsf & 2& 10pt \\
4& array\\ 2& bezier \\
\end{tabular}
Options mentioned only once were: userman, torate, titelseiten, times,
tgrind, texcmds, strukto, spanisch, rcs, quire, psfig, progtxt,
progltx, prelim, popo, plotter, picture, nfss, names, myletter,
multicols, merge, longtable, lgerman, latexinfo, koepfe, index,
idverb, harideu, greek, glossary, germanb, fullpage, footnote, findex,
emlines, eindex, dinbrief, dates, cyrilic, cropmark, chess, biblist,
babel, avantgarde, aplweave, amstex, amsfonts, amsart, ams, a4letter,
a4.
\section{Question 3}
\beginQ
Do you use any local variants of the
above style files? If so, please name
the files and (briefly) how or why they are modified.
& Bitte nennen Sie die zehn am haeufigsten
benutzten LaTeX-Style-Files an Ihrer Installation.
Wenn Sie lokal modifizierte Versionen benutzen,
so nennen Sie bitte den Namen des Originals. \\
\endQ
25 people answered; six of these used 4 or more. Just about half of
these were Germanized versions of the standard document styles.
\section{Question 4}
\beginQ
Please name the five
LaTeX style files that you
most recently used.
& Bitte nennen Sie die fuenf
LaTeX-Style-Files, die sie zuletzt
benutzt haben \\
\endQ
33 had answered this. 20 had rated `german' as `almost always'\dots.
The differentiation into `almost always'\dots`hardly ever' was hoping to
aid memory. A few options were added to quesiton 2's list, but no
`new' options added ut to two or more.
\subsection{Question 5}
\beginQ
Please name five LaTeX
style files that are
particularly important
to you, even if you do
not use them a lot:
& Bitte nennen Sie fuenf
LaTeX-Style-Files, die fuer
Sie besonders wichtig sind,
auch wenn Sie sie nicht oft
benutzen: \\
\endQ
Little-used options (as per question 2) that now were given more
prominence are: fancyheadings, bezier, proc, epic, two/multicolumn, rcs,
idverb, biblist.
\subsection{Question 6}
\beginQ
What types of styles
(document or option)
currently not available
would improve the usage
of LaTeX at your site: &
welche Arten von Styles
(document style oder Option),
die es zur Zeit nicht gibt,
wuerden die Nutzungsmoeglichkeiten
von LaTeX an Ihrer Installation
verbessern: \\
\endQ
I will not delve into this, because my German is not sufficient for
deciphering handwriting. If I {\em have to\/} analyze this in a final
test, I will have to appoint somebody as translator.
\section{Discussion}
I feel (others can dispute this) that {\em users\/} categiorize options
into three:
\begin{itemize}
\item Documentstyles (such as report, book, article)
\item Modifications of documentstyles (such as sober, layout, refman)
\item Added functionality (multicolumn, tabular)
\end{itemize}
I don't think macros for modifying documentstyles should have to be
translated: Customizing the documentstyles (or bulding your own)
should be made {\em much easier\/}: If not, people will convert to
WordPerfect et el. Claiming that this will lead to chaos and
typesetting anarchy is plain arrogance: the new \LaTeX{}book should
give design hints.
Some users wanted a facility for interactice placement of graphics. As a
compromise, the new \LaTeX{}book should carry an explanation as to the
fact that \LaTeX should have to do the floating, and the power of figure
and table environments, along with the use of `{\tt ref}' and `{\tt
label}', should be made more explicit.
\LaTeX{} 3 should incorporate tables that continue along pages, a
multicolumn environment.
{\em Everybodey\/} used either {\tt german.sty} or had hacked German
words into the standard document styles. These should be made obsolete
by a standard naming convention: E.g., {\em All\/} text-producing
commands should be converted to {\tt\verb+\+the} {\tt <} {\em english
text\/} {\tt >} {\tt name}, such as
{\verb+\+\tt thechaptername} or {\verb+\+\tt thelistoffiguresname}.
I think it might be confusing that in part of the questionnaire, we
ask for a particluar installation, in other parts for the repsondents
personal experience/opinion. I think we should state:
\begin{itemize} \item We want to know about *your* use and *your*
opinions. \item We want to know about *your* use of options that are
*not* mentioned in the \LaTeX{}book. The options mentioned in the
\LaTeX{}book will be taken care of. \item By {\em options\/}, we mean
*both* \verb+{+document styles\verb+}+ and \verb+[+options\verb+]+.
\end{itemize}
A *new and improved* questionnaire will be figured out shortly, pending
your comments.
\end{document}
