[tex-live] texdoc error

[Philip TAYLOR]

David Kastrup wrote:

> Sorry Phil, but if you remove everything from Windows that has had its
> conceptual origin in Unix, you are not left with anything close to a
> working system.  The whole file handling with the open/close/read/write
> calls are straight lifted from Unix (the original CP/M handling is no
> longer available).  Similar to directory handling.  That Windows botched
> up the uptake of those concepts to a degree where they only work under
> certain circumstances does not mean that you can make do without them
> entirely.

Once again, David, you are inferring ideas that are
not in the message to which you are responding.  It
is clear that there are ways of doing things that
work reliably in Windows (otherwise Windows would
not be the undoubted success that it is, commercially
speaking).  I am simply advocating that those ways
be used in preference to using Unix-based ways of
doing things.
> 
> Basically your arguments amount to "please use only things that actually
> work". 

Almost.  Better "please use things that Microsoft would
use (or would advocate using) were they undertaking the
current task".

> But there is no documentation or guideline about what is
> actually going to work.  And your frequent offering of the opinion that
> anybody using any part of Windows that happens to fail to meet its
> specifications or reasonable expectations is just an incapable
> indoctrinated UNIX idiot is not helpful.

If you could cite any mention of the word "idiot" in my
messages, I will gladly withdraw it and apologise to all
concerned.  But I don't think you will find any such thing.

> If you don't have any constructive advice to offer for solving the
> technical problems people encounter (and it would appear that your
> exposure to Windows internals and Windows programming is not on a level
> where you actually can offer helpful advice), you might at least try not
> to annoy the people all too much who actually still try to do the work
> required to provide you with working software on your platform of
> choice.

I have no intentions whatsoever of annoying anyone;
my sole desire is to make life simpler for those
undertaking the difficult task of making TeX Live
work reliably under Windows.

As to constructive advice, please see the following out-
of-thread message.

** Phil.