[tex-live] texdoc error

[David Kastrup]

Philip TAYLOR <P.Taylor at Rhul.Ac.Uk> writes:

> David Kastrup wrote:
>
>> 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.

I don't think that your hindsight pontifications are contributing
anything to that.  Without actual exposure to Windows internals, you
won't be able to contribute anything worthwhile to those working with
those internals, least of all advice.

I have at several venues been forced (partly due to choices stemming
from my own naivety about just how bad a market leader could botch up
his main product) to support and implement software on Windows.  The
people putting up with porting to Windows have my utmost respect partly
because of my own experiences.  They certainly are far beyond the stage
where the level of advice you volunteer is anything short of ridiculous.

So if they are venting in the course of doing work for the sake of your
chosen platform, I strongly recommend you don't follow your "desire to
make life simpler" for them by proferring simplistic advice.  It not
only does not work, but it also sours the task even more.

If you think you can do better than those that do the work, join them
and do some of the work yourself.

-- 
David Kastrup