I am sorry for my naive question but the more I get acquaint with LaTeX packages, the more I wonder who are those people behind the packages. Some of them are very complex, with exhaustive 1000-pages manuals, which I suppose to be a huge effort to pull it off... Do they earn money to create such packages? What are the motivations that lead these people to do what they have been doing? Are they graduate students, researchers, professors, or something else?
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1https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/37366/how-do-package-authors-find-the-time – Joseph Wright Mar 14 '23 at 05:53
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1Here is a list: https://tex.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1181/who-are-the-package-maintainers-here – Skillmon Mar 14 '23 at 07:07
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I am one of many independent package developers. We do not "work for" CTAN, but are contributors. CTAN itself is run by a small staff of (I presume) volunteers. If a TeX user decides to share something of value to others, it can be uploaded to CTAN. Some packages are very essential, others are frills. Some packages, as you noted, are vast works. Others are quick solutions to a specific request.
The various package developers may maintain their package for an extended period of time, or not. It is up to them. In general, the most essential packages are continually maintained by a project team.
rallg
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1I suspect maintaining the package is even more work than developing it in the first place. – John Kormylo Mar 14 '23 at 03:50
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