README revision 21495 
1Texinfo, Version 3
2==================
3
4This is the README file for version 3 of the Texinfo distribution.
5Files within this distribution have their own version and edition
6numbers.  When you refer to a file, please mention its own number, as
7well as the version number of the Texinfo distribution.
8
9PLEASE REPORT BUGS TO: bug-texinfo@prep.ai.mit.edu
10
11Texinfo is a documentation system that uses a single source file to
12produce both on-line information and printed output.  This means that
13instead of writing two different documents, one for the on-line help
14or other on-line information and the other for a typeset manual or
15other printed work, you need write only one document.  When the work
16is revised, you need revise only one document.  You can read the
17on-line information, known as an "Info file", with an Info
18documentation-reading program.  By convention, Texinfo source file
19names end with a `.texi' or `.texinfo' extension.  Texinfo is
20described in the Texinfo manual (the file ./texinfo.texi).
21
22You can write and format Texinfo files into Info files within GNU Emacs,
23and read them using the Emacs Info reader.  If you do not have Emacs,
24you can format Texinfo files into Info files using `makeinfo' and read
25them using `info'.  Use TeX, which is not included in this package (see
26`How to Obtain TeX' in the Texinfo manual for information), to typeset
27Texinfo files for printing.
28
29For instructions on compiling and installing info, makeinfo, texi2dvi,
30and texindex, please read the file `INSTALL'.  The Emacs Lisp files are
31not installed by default; to install them, use `make install' in the
32`emacs' subdirectory.  The Info tree uses a file `dir' as its root node;
33a sample `dir' file is included in the distribution, but not installed
34anywhere. Use it or not as you like.
35
36This distribution includes (but is not limited to) the following files:
37
38    README                      This file.
39
40    INTRODUCTION                This file tells you how to create
41                                readable files from the Texinfo source
42                                files in this distribution.
43
44Texinfo source files:
45
46    texinfo.texi                This manual describes Texinfo.  It
47                                tells how to use Texinfo to write
48                                documentation, how to use Texinfo mode
49                                in GNU Emacs, how to use TeX,
50                                makeinfo, and the Emacs Lisp Texinfo
51                                formatting commands.
52
53    info.texi                   This manual tells you how to use 
54                                Info.  This document comes as part of
55                                GNU Emacs.  If you do not have Emacs,
56                                you can format this Texinfo source
57                                file with makeinfo or TeX and then
58                                read the resulting Info file with the
59                                standalone Info reader that is part of
60                                this distribution.
61
62    info-stnd.texi              This manual tells you how to use
63                                the standalone GNU Info reader that is
64                                included in this distribution as a C
65                                source file, `info.c'.
66
67    makeinfo.texi               This manual tells you how to use
68                                makeinfo.  The same information is
69                                contained in a chapter of the Texinfo
70                                manual; it has been extracted here for
71                                your convenience.
72
73
74Printing related files:
75
76    texinfo.tex                 This TeX definitions file tells
77                                the TeX program how to typeset a
78                                Texinfo file into a DVI file ready for
79                                printing.
80
81    texindex.c                  This file contains the source for
82                                the `texindex' program that generates
83                                sorted indices used by TeX when
84                                typesetting a file for printing.
85
86    texi2dvi                    This is a shell script for
87                                producing an indexed DVI file using
88                                TeX and texindex. Must be used if the
89                                source document uses Texinfo @macros.
90
91
92GNU Emacs related files:
93
94    texinfmt.el                 This Emacs Lisp file provides the
95                                functions that GNU Emacs uses to
96                                format a Texinfo file into an Info
97                                file.
98
99    texinfo.el                  This file provides Texinfo mode
100                                for GNU Emacs.
101
102    texnfo-upd.el               These files provides commands to
103    texnfo-tex.el               help you write Texinfo files
104    makeinfo.el                 using GNU Emacs Texinfo mode.
105
106    detexinfo.el                This extra utility file contains functions 
107                                to remove Texinfo commands from a
108                                Texinfo source file.
109
110    info.el                     These are the standard GNU Emacs
111    informat.el                 Info reading and support files,
112                                included here for your convenience.
113 
114
115Source files for standalone C programs:
116
117    makeinfo.c                  This file contains the source for
118                                the `makeinfo' program that you can
119                                use to create an Info file from a
120                                Texinfo file.
121
122    info.c                      This file contains the source for
123                                the `info' program that you can use to
124                                view Info files on an ASCII terminal.
125
126    getopt.c                    Various support files
127    getopt1.c
128    getopt.h
129
130
131C Installation files:
132
133    configure                   This file creates creates a Makefile 
134                                which in turn creates an `info' or
135                                `makeinfo' executable, or a C sources
136                                distribution.
137
138    configure.in                This is a template for creating 
139                                `configure' using m4 macros.
140
141    Makefile.in                 This is a template for `configure' 
142                                to use to make a Makefile.
143                               
144
145Other files:
146
147    NEWS                        This contains a summary of new
148                                features since the first edition 
149                                of Texinfo.
150
151    info.1                      This is a `man' page that briefly 
152                                describes the standalone `info'
153                                program.
154
155    fixfonts                    This is a shell script to install the 
156                                `lcircle10' TeX fonts as an alias for
157                                the `circle10' fonts.  In some older
158                                TeX distributions the names are
159                                different.
160
161    tex3patch                   This handles a bug for version
162                                3.0 of TeX that does not occur in
163                                more recent versions.
164