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1 % \iffalse meta-comment
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29 % Filename: ltnews07.tex
31 % This is issue 7 of LaTeX News.
33 \documentclass
34 % [lw35fonts]
35 {ltnews}
37 % \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
39 \publicationmonth{June}
40 \publicationyear{1997}
41 \publicationissue{7}
43 \begin{document}
45 \maketitle
47 \section{T1 encoded Computer Modern fonts}
48 As in the last release the base \LaTeX\ distribution contains
49 three different sets of `fd' files for T1 encoded fonts.
51 In this release the default installation uses \texttt{ec.ins}
52 and so installs files suitable for the current `EC fonts'
53 distribution. If you have still not updated to the EC fonts and
54 are using the earlier test versions, known as DC then you should
55 unpack \texttt{newdc.ins} (for DC release 1.2 or later) or
56 \texttt{olddc.ins} (for the original releases of the DC fonts).
57 This should be done after unpacking \texttt{unpack.ins} but
58 before making the format by running ini\TeX{} on \texttt{latex.ltx}.
59 There are further details in \texttt{install.txt}.
62 \section{T1 encoded Concrete fonts}
63 The Metafont sources for T1 encoded `Concrete' fonts have been
64 removed from the \textsf{mfnss} distribution as they were based
65 on the now obsolete DC fonts release 1.1. Similarly the
66 \textsf{cmextra.ins} install file in the \textsf{base} distribution no
67 longer generates fd files for the `Concrete' fonts.
68 To use these fonts in either T1 or OT1 encoding it is
69 recommended that you obtain Walter Schmidt's \textsf{ccfonts} package
70 and fonts from CTAN \texttt{macros/latex/contrib/supported/ccfonts}.
73 \section{Further input encodings}
74 Two more \textsf{inputenc} packages have been added: for latin5,
75 thanks to H. Turgut Uyar; and for latin3, thanks to J\"org Knappen.
78 \section{Normalising spacing after punctuation}
79 The command \verb|\normalsfcodes| was introduced at the last patch
80 release. This is normally given the correct definition automatically
81 and so need not be explicitly set. It is used to correct a problem,
82 reported by Donald Arseneau, that punctuation in page headers has
83 always (in all known \TeX\ formats) been potentially incorrect if the
84 page break happens while a local setting of the space codes (for
85 instance by the command \verb|\frenchspacing|) is in effect. A common
86 example of this happening in \LaTeX\ is in the \textsf{verbatim}
87 environment.
90 \section{Accessing Bold Math Symbols}
91 The \textsf{tools} distribution contains a new package, \textsf{bm},
92 which defines a command \verb|\bm| that allows individual bold symbols
93 to be accessed within a math expression (in contrast to
94 \verb|\boldmath| which makes whole math expressions default to bold
95 fonts). It is more general than the existing \textsf{amsbsy} package;
96 however, to ease the translation of documents between these two
97 packages, \textsf{bm} makes \verb|\boldsymbol| an alias for
98 \verb|\bm|.
100 This package was previously made available from the `contrib' area of
101 the CTAN archives, and as part of Y\&Y's \LaTeX\ support for the
102 MathTime fonts.
105 \section{Policy on standard classes}
107 Many of the problem reports we receive concerning the standard classes
108 are not concerned with bugs but are suggesting, more or less politely,
109 that the design decisions embodied in them are `not optimal' and
110 asking us to modify them.
112 There are several reasons why we have decided not to make such changes
113 to these files.
114 \begin{itemize}
115 \item
116 However misguided, the current behaviour is clearly what was
117 intended when these classes were designed.
118 \item
119 It is not good practice to change such aspects of `standard classes'
120 because many people will be relying on them.
121 \end{itemize}
123 We have therefore decided not to even consider making such
124 modifications, nor to spend time justifying that decision. This does
125 not mean that we do not agree that there are many deficiencies in the
126 design of these classes, but we have many tasks with higher priority
127 than continually explaining why the standard classes for \LaTeX{}
128 cannot be changed.
130 We would, of course, welcome the production of better classes, or of
131 packages that can be used to enhance these classes.
134 \section{New addresses for TUG}
135 For information about joining the \TeX{} Users Group, and about lots
136 of other \LaTeX-related matters, please contact
137 them at their new address:
138 \begin{quote}\small
139 \TeX{} Users Group, P.O. Box 1239,\\
140 Three Rivers, CA~93271-1239, USA\\
141 Fax:~+1~209~561~4584\\
142 E-mail: \texttt{tug@mail.tug.org}\\
143 URL: \texttt{http://www.tug.org/}
144 \end{quote}
146 \end{document}