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We have modelled our policies on those of the TeX system since this
has for some time now been widely acknowledged as a very stable and
high quality typesetting system.
The distribution policy set up by Donald Knuth for TeX has the
following features:
- There is a clearly specified method for changing parts of the
software by the use of `change files'.
- Although arbitrary changes are allowed, the resulting program
can be called TeX only if its functionality is precisely the same
as that of TeX (i.e. neither less nor more) in all important
areas.
- There are many files in the system that cannot be changed at all
(without changing the name): examples are the file
plain.tex and the files associated with fonts, including
the Metafont source files.
Rainer Schoepf
Thu Jul 31 16:45:41 MEST 1997