[texhax] "@" : vowel or glottal stop ? (was : Some puzzling TeX)

[Paul Isambert]

Le 23/02/2011 22:12, Arno Trautmann a écrit :
> Reinhard Kotucha wrote:
>> On 2011-02-23 at 21:18:29 +0100, Arno Trautmann wrote:
>>
>>   >  Hi all,
>>   >
>>   >  would it be possible for one of you to turn this whole @-discussion into
>>   >  a TUGboat article? I always wondered about the meaning of all the @s in
>>   >  the code and it would be nice to get an overview over the things
>>   >  discussed here. (I won't have time to write until april, otherwise I
>>   >  would try it.)
>>
>> Hi Arno,
>> it seems that the @s lack a well defined meaning.  They are used quite
>> arbitrarily and different authors have different conventions.  Or did
>> you recognize any rules?
> No, I didn't. Therefore I hoped you did ;)
> Of course everyone can use it the way s/he wants, but I was thinking of
> only the plain or LaTeX kernel. Is it so arbitrarily in that code, too?
>
> Arno

I'm not sure it is possible to write a paper on the use of @, but the 
next TUGboat is #100 and philosophical and/or historical articles are 
welcome; so it'd certainly be nice in that issue. Deadline is March 31, 
which is almost April, huh, so perhaps, Arno...? :)

(And the rules are obvious; look at old languages of Indo-European 
ascent, I keep telling you. Although I might have overestimated the role 
of sanskrit.)

Best,
Paul