\title{\LaTeX2e -- A New Version of \LaTeX}
\author{Leslie Lamport and the \LaTeX3 project team}
\begin{article}

An important announcement was made  on July 27th at the Annual meeting of
the \TeX\ User's Group (TUG) at Aston University, Birmingham, UK; there
will be a new, standardised version of \LaTeX\ (working name: \LaTeX2e)
to be released before the end of 1993. 

\section*{Reasons For \LaTeX2e}

There are two primary reasons for introducing a new version of \LaTeX:
\begin{itemize} 
\item Standardisation: a single format incorporating NFSS2, to replace
  present multiplicity of incompatible formats (NFSS, lfonts,
  pslfonts, etc.)
\item Maintenance: a standardised system is essential to a reliable
  maintenance policy.
\end{itemize} 
Note that \LaTeX2e is only a ``working name''---thus
this may change.

\section*{Guiding Principles}

The following two guiding principles are to be followed:
\begin{enumerate}
\item Unmodified version  2.09 input  files will  produce the  same
     output with \LaTeX2e as with version 2.09.
\item All new features of  \LaTeX2e will conform to the  conventions
     of version 2.09,  making it as  easy as possible for  current
     users to learn to use them.
\end{enumerate}

\section*{Preamble Commands}

In  order to  distinguish old  (2.09) documents  from those  using
facilities  from the  new version,  \LaTeX2e documents  will use  a
different command on the first line:
\begin{verbatim}
  \documentclass[options]{class}
\end{verbatim}
   The  \verb|documentclass| command  specifies  what kind  of  document
this is---for example, article, book, letter, slide. There is a second command:
\begin{verbatim}
  \includepackage[options]{package}
\end{verbatim}
Including  a  package   adds  new  commands  and/or   redefines
existing commands to provide additional functionality. 
The \LaTeX2.09 compatibility mode is invoked by
\begin{verbatim}
   \documentstyle[options]{style}
\end{verbatim}


\section*{Documentation}

The  new version  will be  described in  a new  edition of  {\em \LaTeX:
A  document  preparation  system} by  Leslie  Lamport  and  in  {\em The
\LaTeX\ Companion}  by Goossens, Mittelbach  and Samarin (both to  be
published by Addison-Wesley).   The {\em Companion} will also  contain a
complete description of NFSS2.


\section*{Distribution Policy}

Maintenance of the new system will be undertaken by the \LaTeX3\
project team.

A complete distribution of all files, incorporating corrections of
errors, will be made available twice a year on fixed dates.  This will
happen even if there were no changes to the files, and hence only the
release dates have to be updated.

We are currently  looking into the possibility of  additionally
distributing `diff' files.

\section*{Error Reports}

Error  reports can  be  made  using a  report  generating  program
{\tt latexbug.tex}.  This will be part of the main distribution.

Error reports will be  accepted only if the version  of \LaTeX2e
that  produces the  error  is not  older  than one  year.    Error
reports can be sent to the following mail address:
\begin{verbatim}
 latex-bugs@rus.uni-stuttgart.de
\end{verbatim}
or a postal address that is to be announced.
\end{article}
\endinput