Re: Bug#388684: coreutils: "info ls" opens the man page, not the info documentation

[Karl Berry]

    mstone> The debian install-info routine (IIRC) predates the 
    gnu install-info, 

That wasn't my understanding, but I never actually researched it.  I was
not aware of any Debian ii at the time that rms wrote GNU ii (I was
maintaining Texinfo by then -- 1996), but then, I probably wouldn't have
been.  Anyway, whatever.  The situation is what it is.

    and hasn't been updated to recognize certain 
    directives in newer info files. 

The main directive (START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY) has been there basically since
the beginning of Info, not just install-info.  I am pretty sure Debian
ii recognizes it, otherwise it wouldn't do anything useful at all.
Something else must be going on.  Like, they don't install the coreutils
manual.  Whatever ...

    Unfortunately, the gnu install-info isn't a drop in replacement for
    debian one, either.

Fortunately, after years of talk between me and various Debian people, a
new volunteer (Ben Asselstine) has implemented all of the Debian ii
behavior in GNU ii.  I'm working towards a new Texinfo release now,
primarily because of that work.

Of course Debian ii will continue to exist for many years, in all the
existing releases at least.

     jimm> (it seems it's been at least two years, now).

More like a decade.

karl