i have just installed a new directory macros/latex/contrib/pict2e, which contains a distribution of the new (real) pict2e package, as documented in lamport, 2nd edition.
from the readme:
This package was described in the 2nd edition of LaTeX: A Document Preparation System, but the LaTeX project team declined to produce the package. For a long time, LaTeX has included a pict2e package that merely produced an apologetic error message.
The new package extends the existing LaTeX picture environment, using the familiar technique (cf. the graphics and color packages) of driver files. The package documentation (pict2e.dtx) has a fair number of examples of use, showing where things are improved by comparison with the LaTeX picture environment.
Robin Fairbairns
For the authors (Rolf Niepraschk and Hubert Gaesslein), and the LaTeX and CTAN teams