Re: simplifying configuration of encoded characters/entities output

[Gavin Smith]

On Wed, Dec 29, 2021 at 01:35:05PM +0100, Patrice Dumas wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I would like to simplify the customization and code determining what is
> output for characters/entities.
> 
> For Info and Plaintext, I propose to remove the check on documentencoding
> being set or not, leaving two possibilities
> * --enable-encoding (the default), try to output unicode points encoded
>   characters for every output, be it accents like @'e, @-commands like
>   @l{} or dashes and quotes.
> * --disable-encoding use ascii everywhere
> 
> If we want to have some differential treatment of some categories, we
> should add specific customization options by class, but I think that it
> adds unnecessary complexities.

This came up in this thread:

https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/help-texinfo/2021-10/msg00018.html

At least you and Alan in that thread find the current state of affairs
unsatisfactory.  I agree the effect of @documentencoding UTF-8 in
enabling Unicode quote characters and a few others is not documented
well and has confusing interactions with the likes of --enable-encoding
and so on.

I will try to add a customization variable for this.  I don't expect it
would be that difficult.

I think Unicode directional quotes should be turned on by
default, simply because people would be upset if documents with
'@documentencoding UTF-8' suddenly stopped having them.  (If Info
had never had Unicode directional quotes I would have opposed changing to
output them because they are unnecessary in a plain text format, but by
now far too many people will be used to having them and would view a
change back to 'this' or `this' as a regression.)