2014-08-16 Catastrophic, lamentable idiosyncrasy

Some time ago, I submitted a paper to a mathematical journal. I downloaded the Instruction4authors.pdf, a template and the LaTeX class file. Then, I started to look at them. Then, I weeped.

Here’s an excerpt from the template (compiled from three places there):

\textheight=8.2 true in
\textwidth=5.0 true in
\topmargin 30pt
\setcounter{page}{1}

% Place all authors' names in [ ] shown as running head;
% No more than 40 letters. Leave { } empty
% Please use `and' to connect the last two names if applicable
\author[first-name1 last-name1 and first-name2 last-name2]{}

\begin{document}
\maketitle

% Enter the first author's name and address:
\centerline{\scshape First-name1 last-name1 }
\medskip
{\footnotesize
% please put the address of the first author
 \centerline{First line of the address of the first author}
   \centerline{Other lines}
   \centerline{ Springfield, MO 65801-2604, USA}
} % Do not forget to end the {\footnotesize by the sign }

\medskip

\centerline{\scshape First-name2 last-name2 and First-name3
last-name3}
\medskip
{\footnotesize
 % please put the address of the second  and third author
 \centerline{ First line of the address of the second author}
   \centerline{Other lines}
   \centerline{Springfield, MO 65810, USA}
}

\bigskip

% The name of the associate editor will be entered by an editorial staff
% "Communicated by the associate editor name" is not needed for special issue.
 \centerline{(Communicated by the associate editor name)}

(Not to mention that true declarations are not needed, since there is no \magsteps nor similar things anywhere.)

Now even funnier is that the cls file contains a \ProvidesClass declaration inconsistent with its own filename, and large, l@w@lev@l;) portions copy-pasted from amsart.cls (probably via that declared file, but that I am not sure).

Among other things, the cls file contains quite a few hyphenation exceptions. They include the words: “catastrophic”, “lamentable” and “idiosyncrasy”.

How appropriate.

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