Re: CM fonts updated?

[Ulrik Vieth <vieth@thphy.uni-duesseldorf.de>]

> The updated CM fonts on the CTAN now include a file cmex9.mf.
> The same file name can also be found in the "extra CM" fonts
> provided by the AMS.  The MF code differs, with the AMS version
> obviously being the newer one.  When you install the fonts, it
> is a question of chance which one will be used for creating
> the pk bitmap.  IMHO the old cmex9 should be removed from the 
> basic CM distribution.

As far as I can tell, Don Knuth's version of cmex9.mf has been part of
his distributions for many years already, but it is possible that it
may not have appeared on CTAN until recently for some reason or other.

In the 1995 distribution the file date of cmex9.mf was October 1987,
which indicates that it was created as an afterthought to the other 
CM fonts during the time when DEK was working on Concrete Mathematics
(see the graffitti macros in gkpmac.tex).

Compared to the AMS version of cmex9, the only significant difference
it is the font identifier ("CMEX" vs. "CMEX V2.2") and some whitespace
in the source file, which shouldn't affect the generated fonts at all.

In the teTeX distribution, Knuth's version of cmex9 has been in use 
in since early 1995, while cmex7 and cmex8 are taken from AMS fonts.

A similar version conflict also exists for the file ebigof.mf (used 
to generate the euex10 font).  Here, the teTeX distribution also has 
replaced the AMS version by Knuth's version, which happens to include
a comment that says:

% This is the driver file for EUEX fonts, before AMS screwed it up

Obviously, this indicates a problem that should be sorted out by
the AMS staff.

Hope this explains it.

Cheers, Ulrik.