# [luatex] macros to invoke lua in LaTeX

Robin Fairbairns Robin.Fairbairns at cl.cam.ac.uk
Fri Mar 6 09:41:54 CET 2009

Heiko Oberdiek <oberdiek at uni-freiburg.de> wrote:

> On Thu, Mar 05, 2009 at 11:07:51PM +0100, Reinhard Kotucha wrote:
>
> > Regarding namespaces: It's a good idea at first glance.  But I don't
> > think there is any need to be concerned about macro packages people
> > write in the future.  Macro writers have to read the specifications
> > anyway.  They have to read the TeXbook if they want to support Knuth's
> > tex, they have to read the pdfTeX manual if they want to support
> > pdftex, and they have to read the LuaTeX manual if they want to support
> > Luatex.  Same for e-TeX, XeTeX, Omega, and derivates.
>
> Another reason for prefixes. As package author I wouldn't want
> to check all engines for name clashes. Also it's quite
> difficult to check future name clashes, especially for user
> land macro names.

i don't _want_ to check all engines, but _i_ (and heiko) could, in
principle.

> > Hans already explained why new primitives don't break old macro
> > packages.  So, where is the problem?
>
> Mixing old with new packages.

and mixing well-established packages with new engines.  *we* aren't
going to be surprised when package foo "breaks" the new primitive \bar,
but a steady proportion of texhax/comp.text.tex traffic covers just such
name clashes (mostly between packages, but occasionally between package
and engine).

as has already been said, this is complicated by the state of
authorship; the context community (seems, to me, to) keep in touch with
each other, but latex package authors regularly disappear.  of the large
list of latex packages for which i don't have an author address, i've
only *two* instructions to hand responsibility on to anyone who
volunteers to take it.

what do i do about packages whose author dies?  (for mike downes, i mail
barbara beeton; but i don't know who to ask in re. brian hamilton
kelly's stuff -- we had to break the copyright to get his crossword
stuff working with 2e.)

robin