Feature #7712: Add .txt extensions to all plain-text documentation files for Windows users

• Status: Rejected
• Assignee: -
• Target version: 2.6

[postmodern (Hal Brodigan)]

Given that Ruby is now aiming for Windows 8 support, all plain-text documentation files should have a .txt extension. This allows Windows users to easily open the files; since Windows relies on the file extension to determine which app to open the file with. For files that contain RDoc formatting, add a .rdoc extension. This proposed change does not conflict with GNU Coding Standards [1], which only specifies the required names of project files and not their extensions.

Files to rename:

• sample/README (.txt)
• spec/README (.rdoc)
• COPYING (.txt)
• ChangeLog (.txt)
• GPL (.txt)
• README (.txt)
• doc/ChangeLog-YARV (.txt)
• doc/pty/README (.txt)
• doc/rake/README (.rdoc)
• doc/rake/CHANGES (.rdoc)
• doc/rubygems/README (.rodc)
• NEWS (.rdoc)
• test/rdoc/README (.txt) (only contains "you don't have to" ??)
• BSDL (.txt)
• README.EXT (.txt)
• symbian/README.SYMBIAN (.rdoc)
• LEGAL (.txt)
• lib/README (.txt)
• misc/README (.txt)
• ext/stringio/README (.rdoc)
• ext/bigdecimal/README (.txt)
• ext/gdbm/README (.txt)
• ext/racc/cparse/README (.rdoc)
• ext/ripper/README (.rdoc)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-en/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-en/doc.org/README.JP (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-en/doc.org/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/tkextlib/tkHTML/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/msgs_tk/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/msgs_rb2/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-jp/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-jp/doc.org/README.JP (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-jp/doc.org/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/msgs_rb/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/tkextlib/tkimg/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/tkextlib/tcllib/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/tkextlib/SUPPORT_STATUS (.txt)
• ext/readline/README (.txt)

[1]; http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Documentation.html#Documentation

[trans (Thomas Sawyer)]

In the case of RDoc files, perhaps it would be a good time to go a step further and move to an "industry standard" format, Markdown. I believe rdoc tool now supports Markdown, yes?

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Priority changed from Normal to 3

[trans (Thomas Sawyer)]

Instead of changing the Priority to "Low" (which I suspect means "watch wither on the vine") why don't you change it to "Get'er Done"!? Postmodern has already done most the work with the list he gave, just ask him to submit the patch be done with it. If there is some deeper concern with this idea (which for a feature request is about is simple as it can get) then communicate it.

[luislavena (Luis Lavena)]

Hello,

More than filename and extensions, there is a line-ending issue.

All the source code is LF (unix) which will result in something unreadable if opened with plain notepad (at least Windows 7 does a terrible job).

I don't see all these files change line endings just to satisfy the Windows users. Normal developers will have a robust/better editor than Notepad which means filename with or without extensions to look around the source seems moot.

I might be wrong, but at least I'm a Windows Ruby user and developer.

[regularfry (Alex Young)]

On 23/01/13 22:48, luislavena (Luis Lavena) wrote:

Issue #7712 has been updated by luislavena (Luis Lavena).

Hello,

More than filename and extensions, there is a line-ending issue.

All the source code is LF (unix) which will result in something unreadable if opened with plain notepad (at least Windows 7 does a terrible job).

I don't see all these files change line endings just to satisfy the Windows users. Normal developers will have a robust/better editor than Notepad which means filename with or without extensions to look around the source seems moot.

I might be wrong, but at least I'm a Windows Ruby user and developer.

That assumes people only open files from within their editor. Way back
when I was using Windows regularly I switched Scite in for Notepad so
double-clicking a .txt opened something moderately sane. This seems
like a reasonable thing to want to do, and can't work without file
extensions.

This seems like a no-brainer to me.

--
Alex

---

Feature #7712: Add .txt extensions to all plain-text documentation files for Windows users
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/7712#change-35566

Author: postmodern (Hal Brodigan)
Status: Open
Priority: Low
Assignee:
Category: DOC
Target version:

Given that Ruby is now aiming for Windows 8 support, all plain-text documentation files should have a .txt extension. This allows Windows users to easily open the files; since Windows relies on the file extension to determine which app to open the file with. For files that contain RDoc formatting, add a .rdoc extension. This proposed change does not conflict with GNU Coding Standards [1], which only specifies the required names of project files and not their extensions.

Files to rename:

• sample/README (.txt)
• spec/README (.rdoc)
• COPYING (.txt)
• ChangeLog (.txt)
• GPL (.txt)
• README (.txt)
• doc/ChangeLog-YARV (.txt)
• doc/pty/README (.txt)
• doc/rake/README (.rdoc)
• doc/rake/CHANGES (.rdoc)
• doc/rubygems/README (.rodc)
• NEWS (.rdoc)
• test/rdoc/README (.txt) (only contains "you don't have to" ??)
• BSDL (.txt)
• README.EXT (.txt)
• symbian/README.SYMBIAN (.rdoc)
• LEGAL (.txt)
• lib/README (.txt)
• misc/README (.txt)
• ext/stringio/README (.rdoc)
• ext/bigdecimal/README (.txt)
• ext/gdbm/README (.txt)
• ext/racc/cparse/README (.rdoc)
• ext/ripper/README (.rdoc)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-en/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-en/doc.org/README.JP (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-en/doc.org/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/tkextlib/tkHTML/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/msgs_tk/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/msgs_rb2/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-jp/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-jp/doc.org/README.JP (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/demos-jp/doc.org/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/sample/msgs_rb/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/tkextlib/tkimg/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/tkextlib/tcllib/README (.txt)
• ext/tk/lib/tkextlib/SUPPORT_STATUS (.txt)
• ext/readline/README (.txt)

[1]; http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Documentation.html#Documentation

[trans (Thomas Sawyer)]

@luislavena (Luis Lavena) The .txt extension might not be necessary, but it wouldn't hurt, yes? And in some cases it would help?

Also, there is the point of adding .rdoc to those files that are using it. Or, thinking ahead (imho), converting them to Markdown and adding .md.

[drbrain (Eric Hodel)]

• Target version set to 2.6

[zzak (zzak _)]

• Status changed from Open to Rejected

I'm going to reject this, I agree with Luis [ruby-core:51610].