Re: Need some bug/version info

Ralf Angeli <angeli(a)iwi.uni-sb.de&gt; writes: Actually, shy regexps are by now used rather widely in Lisp packages (for example, preview-latex). XEmacs' version of regexp-opt _also_ produces shy regexps, and it is used all across the XEmacs code base and external packages, even those that don't explicitly use shy regexps themselves. As far as I can see, the main symptom would be random core dumps. I don't think that people will assign the blame to AUCTeX for core dumps. So basically this is major XEmacs problem affecting its operation all across the board, and it does not make sense for AUCTeX to deal in an isolated manner with it. This is a matter of XEmacs release and quality management. The release should be pulled and people prominently given notice. If package authors in general are asked to include code like the above, then we will probably follow suit. But you would be doing a disservice to your users by pretending this matter is even close to being dealt with responsibly if AUCTeX refuses to load. So my take on this matter is that we will _not_ change our code in the above way _unless_ there is an _official_ call of the XEmacs development team to _all_ package developers to do this. Such a call would probably only make sense in connection with a _general_ warning about that XEmacs release (which is supposed to be in the stable series). Unless the XEmacs developers declare this step necessary for _all_ package developers in order to control the spread of this fundamentally buggy release, I don't think we should muddy our own code base, but instead just mention this problem in the release notes, and maybe as package conflicts. It is also a possibility that our installation procedure check for working shy regexps (after all, this is not the first time they have created havoc within XEmacs, as can be witnessed from the preview-latex change log entries from Nix). But the proper place for such checks would really be in regression tests for XEmacs, not in the installation procedures of AUCTeX. People who are using 21.4.16 will be hosed also without using AUCTeX. Shy regexps are an integral part of XEmacs via regexp-opt. It does not make sense to make AUCTeX the poster child for telling this to people. My opinion is to mention this prominently in the release notes as long as it is to be feared that this XEmacs version is around. And how long this is to be feared very much depends on how the XEmacs developers will choose to deal with the problem. If it is their opinion that an occasional core dump in normal operation is no reason to warn people off a release in a prominent manner, then it is _us_ that is going to get blamed when some stock XEmacs/AUCTeX combination gets made available and refuses to work. This XEmacs version must not get put on _any_ software distribution intended to be stable since XEmacs' operation as a whole is affected, and it is beyond the power of the AUCTeX developers to tell distributors "don't use 21.4.16", except possibly by package conflicts. And if a distributor finds AUCTeX conflicting with XEmacs, he will in case of doubt throw out AUCTeX, obviously. We can't reasonably substitute for XEmacs quality management in this instance. Seconded. I did. I consider this of high relevance to the XEmacs community, and I would appreciate it if the auc-tex list were kept informed in case the XEmacs developers decide to take any measures for deprecating 21.4.16 outside of this particular thread. -- David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum