4 ms·

I wonder Does this still depend, even indirectly, at the WEB files written by Knuth? It has the strange license that says "Copying of this file is authorized

• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• smichel17 6y ago
  …Those version numbers… I love it! % Version 0 was released in September 1982 after it passed a variety of tests. % Version 1 was released in November 1983 after thorough testing. % Version 1.1 fixed ``disappearing font identifiers'' et alia (July 1984). % Version 1.2 allowed `0' in response to an error, et alia (October 1984). % Version 1.3 made memory allocation more flexible and local (November 1984). % Version 1.4 fixed accents right after line breaks, et alia (April 1985). % Version 1.5 fixed \the\toks after other expansion in \edefs (August 1985). % Version 2.0 (almost identical to 1.5) corresponds to "Volume B" (April 1986). % Version 2.1 corrected anomalies in discretionary breaks (January 1987). % Version 2.2 corrected "(Please type...)" with null \endlinechar (April 1987). % Version 2.3 avoided incomplete page in premature termination (August 1987). % Version 2.4 fixed \noaligned rules in indented displays (August 1987). % Version 2.5 saved cur_order when expanding tokens (September 1987). % Version 2.6 added 10sp slop when shipping leaders (November 1987). % Version 2.7 improved rounding of negative-width characters (November 1987). % Version 2.8 fixed weird bug if no \patterns are used (December 1987). % Version 2.9 made \csname\endcsname's "relax" local (December 1987). % Version 2.91 fixed \outer\def\a0{}\a\a bug (April 1988). % Version 2.92 fixed \patterns, also file names with complex macros (May 1988). % Version 2.93 fixed negative halving in allocator when mem_min<0 (June 1988). % Version 2.94 kept open_log_file from calling fatal_error (November 1988). % Version 2.95 solved that problem a better way (December 1988). % Version 2.96 corrected bug in "Infinite shrinkage" recovery (January 1989). % Version 2.97 corrected blunder in creating 2.95 (February 1989). % Version 2.98 omitted save_for_after at outer level (March 1989). % Version 2.99 caught $$\begingroup\halign..$$ (June 1989). % Version 2.991 caught .5\ifdim.6... (June 1989). % Version 2.992 introduced major changes for 8-bit extensions (September 1989). % Version 2.993 fixed a save_stack synchronization bug et alia (December 1989). % Version 3.0 fixed unusual displays; was more \output robust (March 1990). % Version 3.1 fixed nullfont, disabled \write{\the\prevgraf} (September 1990). % Version 3.14 fixed unprintable font names and corrected typos (March 1991). % Version 3.141 more of same; reconstituted ligatures better (March 1992). % Version 3.1415 preserved nonexplicit kerns, tidied up (February 1993). % Version 3.14159 allowed fontmemsize to change; bulletproofing (March 1995). % Version 3.141592 fixed \xleaders, glueset, weird alignments (December 2002). % Version 3.1415926 was a general cleanup with minor fixes (February 2008). % Version 3.14159265 was similar (January 2014).
  • throwaway890369 6y ago
    For those unfamiliar, Knuth's versioning scheme approaches pi and therefore never reaches 4.0 [0] > In his seminal text layout system, TeX, and his equally brilliant typeface design system, METAFONT, Donald uses a versioning number system that asymptotically approaches perfection. The version numbers of TeX approach π (the current version is 3.14159265) and the version numbers of METAFONT approach e. [0] http://sentimentalversioning.org/ http://sentimentalversioning.org/
    • colejohnson66 6y ago
      You’re leaving out the best part! When he passes (hopefully not anytime soon[a]) the version number of TeX will become pi. Any and all bugs will become “features” at that point. Same with METAFONT; it’ll become e. [a]: I’d love to get a full and complete set of The Art of Computer Programming (all volumes) written first (on his own time, of course), but I doubt that’ll actually happen. According to Wikipedia, there’s supposed to be 7 volumes, and he’s still working on the second half(?) of the 4th.
      • drran 6y ago
        Someone may change his name to D. E. Knuth and continue to improve code. License allows that.