Goeke@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (01/09/85)
Just before I was about to start writing my own code for
handling simple text going to my FX-80 in proportional mode, I looked
one last time at 'nroff' to see if it couldn't be fudged to do the job.
(An aside: I'm running VENIX/11 and I don't have the source for
'nroff', only a brief description of the -T tables which clearly
indicate one can't possibly do this.) Lo and behold! With a couple of
hours of effort I got the old FX humming along, properly putting in 1/6
em spaces to fill out lines, and adding features like commandable
narrow-space (NOT available in 'nroff' -- unless you modify the supplied
table, that is).
My problem is the FX-80. The only way I found to get it to
move "a little bit" to fudge in the fractional spaces was to go into the
dot graphics mode. My, what a dance it does when that command comes in
the middle of a text line! The printer's effective speed goes down to a
point which reminds me of overnight batch processing. Has anyone else
faced -- and solved -- this problem? Should I be asking some other
list?
BTW, if there is any interest in the matter, I'll gladly share
the secrets of the -T table with anyone interested in proportional
stuff. (But then, I'm probably just the last to know.)
Bob Goeke --> Goeke -at MIT-Multics MIT Center for Space Research
617-253-1910Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn@BRL-VLD.ARPA> (01/09/85)
"nroff" can handle variable-width fonts just fine. The problem is that it doesn't seem to know how to underline properly, and there is no "enter underscore mode" and "leave underscore mode" slot in the termtab. Does anyone have the DEFINITIVE fix for all this? (Would come in very handy for many printers, such as the HP LaserJet.)
rick@uwmacc.UUCP (the absurdist) (01/10/85)
A suggestion: if/when modifications to nroff are posted for supporting
printers traditionally associated with micros (the FX-80, the ThinkJet,
etc.), please cross-post to net.micro.
Keeping up with both the net.unix and the net.micro groups is a large
task which many of us find impossible during the semester; it would be
a shame if your hard work in creating the termtab entries was missed by
many of those who could use it.
Thank you!
--
"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean --
neither more nor less" -- Humpty Dumpty, the noted linguist
Rick Keir -- MicroComputer Information Center, MACC
1210 West Dayton St/U Wisconsin Madison/Mad WI 53706
{allegra, ihnp4, seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!rickjpj@mss.UUCP (J. P. Jenal) (01/13/85)
If you do post *definitive* solutions would you please keep in mind that not all of us have the nroff source - thus a solution that requires re-working nroff won't benefit the rest of us too much. If you have fixes that only require cleverness in the tab files - that would be just spiff. Cheers... Jim Jenal (aka ...!scgvaxd!mss!jpj) Mayfield Senior School ( " ...!ihnp4!mss!jpj)
dan@digi-g.UUCP (Dan Messinger) (01/14/85)
In article <7141@brl-tgr.ARPA> Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn@BRL-VLD.ARPA> writes: > The problem >is that it doesn't seem to know how to underline properly, ... >... Does anyone have the DEFINITIVE fix for >all this? I fixed the underline problem with a fairly trivial post filter program. I think that the col filter is a far more complex problem. If you want to do multiple columns, or use the {T constuct in tables (both generate reverse line feeds), you will need a col filter that recognizes the special sequences that nroff genrates for your printer, and it will need to look at the -T table to determine how much space each character uses on paper. Have fun! Personally, I just avoid these. :-) Dan Messinger ihnp4!umn-cs!digi-g!dan