Re: [Gnumed-devel] LaTeX contest for referral letter

[Karsten Hilbert]

On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 01:25:24AM -0800, Jim Busser wrote:

> >> in normal mode there will be nothing of it in the pdf or paper, whereas in 
> >> debug mode it will appear as an extra line
> > 
> > While technically a good solution this ensures we will never
> > see it when we want it.
> 
> Why would anybody want such details "normally" seen on
> (for example) a prescription, where the template reference
> will serve only to confuse matters?

Because Murphy's Law dictates that it will be wanted when
not available (that is, when a problem crops up but the
client was not run in debugging mode) and it won't be
reproducible either :-)

I don't really see how the now-tiny reference would confuse
matters. I should believe someone being confused by that
(mind you, *wondering* about it is another matter) should
easily be confused by lesser things, no ?

> If the page *will* print and the user is in any way
> dissatisfied, there is nothing wrong with requiring them to
> launch another client instance in debug mode and re-generate
> the same output except this time the template reference
> should appear.

Well, "requiring the user to help with debugging" is
something way beyond many users (apart from those partaking
in this list).

> Are you concerned that the proposed solution will cause
> the template reference to not appear despite that it should,
> even in debug mode?

No, that would simply be a coding error.

I will, however, not add another placeholder before 0.6.

> >> PS can the horizontal line separators in the footers be made to extend 
> >> more fully across the page?
> > 
> > If we throw all our combined forces behind the opposition to
> > TeX's typographic excellence, then, yes, there is a way.
> 
> Well, we can be purists and swoon in TeX's brilliance,

LOL, hehe, I'm swooning already. See, if I wouldn't trust
TeX's competence in how something "really should" be typeset
I needn't use it in the first place.

My above also tried to say: there's a way but it's harder
than what I currently care for doing.

> or
> we can avoid distracting the clinician from the content as
> might otherwise arise from noting "this footer line looks
> weird... what's going on?"

$Deity forbid any of my colleagues see anything weird !  :-)))

I am all for avoiding disturbance but the ROI in light of
0.6.0 needs to be considered.

Also, if TeX says the footnote should be separated by a
not-quite-page-width line I am rather sure there's a good
reason (which one may not need to agree to, of course).

Karsten
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