[tex-live] musixtex in texlive-2010

Robin Fairbairns Robin.Fairbairns at cl.cam.ac.uk
Thu Sep 23 22:21:59 CEST 2010


Bob Tennent <rdt at cs.queensu.ca> wrote:

> The version of this at CTAN is T-114.  The version in texlive-2010 is T-103,
> which is about 9 years out of date.

(fwiw, the miktex version is dated may 2003.)

i maintain it, but _i_ find the ctan directory macros/musixtex/taupin
confusing (and i've used the software in the distant past).

so generating a new version of musixtex for tex live is going to be
difficult, at the least.

reading the music/tex mailing list, i have the impression that no-one
nowadays uses musixtex other than through one of the front ends.  i've
never done that, and have no incentive any longer to try (i don't
arrange music any more).  if i'm right, and musixtex _needs_ a front
end, that adds masses more complications ... particularly since, aiui,
at least one such is written in fortran.

furthermore, i've just noticed (for the first time!) that there's a
licence statement in there.  the statement is pretty confused, but it
does say that the software is (in ctan catalogue terms) licence nosell.
in that case, it shouldn't be in tex live in the first place.

so what do we do?

if karl's willing to keep musixtex, despite its licence, then someone
should provide a coherent set of packages.  ctan doesn't hold duplicate
copies of stuff, and the directory on the wima is has multiple copies of
things.  i've omitted things according to my reading of what's going on,
but istm that some things have changed name, and i fear i may have
duplicated some things, and omitted others.

so a review is needed of what's on ctan, and preferably a prototype of
what a ctan package should look like.

if things are going to progress someone needs to do some work.  but we
need to think about that licence.

robin


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