Re: new beta: 2.96.2

> Time for praying.  Is there a a summary available?  Web2C's tendency

Olaf Weber wrote the following summary:

    Given the amount of feedback I've had, I've mainly gone on my sense of
    what would be useful, usable, and (I think) comprehensible.

    - Currently, the code distinguishes between writing to the terminal
      and log on the one hand, and other writes (\write) on the other.

    - For writes to the terminal and log, isprint(3) function is used, and
      this is locale-dependent.

    - For \write, the setup is as follows:

      - By default, printable means printable ASCII, codes [32..127].
        This is Knuth's original definition.  

      - Giving the -8bit option changes the default to make all characters
        printable.

      - In a TCX file you can specify a third value, to explicitly set
        a character as printable or non-printable.  This is the way to
        make characters non-printable if -8bit is used as well.

      - The xord/xchr/xprn arrays are always saved in the format, for all
        engines except those in the Omega family.  Thus, a TCX or -8bit
        given in INI mode sets the defaults for that format.

      - If a TCX is specified, it overrules whatever is in the format.

      - If -8bit is specified, it overrules whatever is in the format.

      - The \xchr, \xord, \xprn primitives are only available in encTeX.

The default setup of teTeX creates format files with -8bit option set, so
\write (the "other writes") don't use ^^ unless someone explicitly wants
it different (e.g. by loading a tcx file which makes some characters
unprintable). writing to the terminal and log additionally depends on
the locale, so characters that the locale considers unprintable are
displayed as ^^xy.

That summary should help. If you can forsee any problems, let me know.

Thomas