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I have been using the Schedule package for most of the last decade to create my weekly schedules that I post outside my office door. As soon as I started using it, I noticed that 12 noon was denoted as 12 AM and not 12 PM (and midnight was also incorrect). I tried to contact the author with a bugfix, but he was not reachable at the address in the documentation; this was unsurprising, as the package was uploaded in 1997 and never updated. The last upload to CTAN from the author is from 2001, and they have no contact information available.

Although the source code specifically said that I was not allowed to make changes to the code, the package is so useful that I did so anyway, fixing the strange AM/PM issue that I had found.

I love this package. It's well-designed---except for the minor bug that I fixed. At what point can we consider a package on CTAN to become abandonware?

SteelAngel
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  • There's no legal sense of 'abandonware' (and copyright expiry is long): without a license that permits modification or forking, there's nothing that can be done without permission of the originator. – Joseph Wright Jul 24 '19 at 17:35
  • @JosephWright but it is curious, the dtx has only a copyright line, and if one unpack it one doesn't get the sty which is on ctan. – Ulrike Fischer Jul 24 '19 at 17:40
  • the author is easily findable via google so you could just ask for an update or if you may update – David Carlisle Jul 24 '19 at 17:44
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    There is a legitimate disagreement on which 12:00 is noon or midnight. (That is why insurance policies always start at 12:01 AM.) This may be a generational or geographical difference, but it is the reason why it is more reliable to use a 24-hour clock, or to specify "noon" or "midnight" explicitly. I believe that to change this package would result in confusion. – barbara beeton Jul 24 '19 at 17:53
  • @DavidCarlisle The only "Jason Alexander" that Google provides easily is the actor from Seinfeld. Although I may be pleasantly surprised, I do not think they are the same person. – SteelAngel Jul 24 '19 at 18:57
  • starting from the email address in the file (did you try it, it could still work) I got lead to https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-alexander-973b655/ if you are on linkedin – David Carlisle Jul 24 '19 at 19:54
  • @DavidCarlisle I did try the address on the original documentation to no effect. Apparently your google-fu is far stronger than mine. I bow to it. – SteelAngel Jul 25 '19 at 15:31
  • @SteelAngel do you have linkedin access (if not mail me and I'll pass on the address) – David Carlisle Jul 25 '19 at 15:33
  • @DavidCarlisle Thank you for the offer but it is not necessary; using your lead, I was able to get in contact with Dr. Alexander. – SteelAngel Jul 25 '19 at 17:51

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