gda@creare.uucp (Gray Abbott) (06/30/86)
We've read that Knuth's TEX is in the public domain. Does anyone know where
we can get a free/cheap version that runs on a Sun or a Masscomp?
Gray Abbott
Creare Inc.
Hanover, NH
{...dartvax!creare!gda}cjdb@sphinx.UUCP (07/10/86)
> We've read that Knuth's TEX is in the public domain. Does anyone know where > we can get a free/cheap version that runs on a Sun or a Masscomp? How about on a PC (XT, AT)? Thanks. -- Charles Blair ..!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!cjdb The University of Chicago lib.cb%chip@UChicago.Bitnet
phil@rice.UUCP (07/17/86)
In article <364@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>, cjdb@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Charles Blair) writes: > > We've read that Knuth's TEX is in the public domain. Does anyone know where > > we can get a free/cheap version that runs on a Sun or a Masscomp? > > How about on a PC (XT, AT)? Thanks. TeX is indeed public domain and is readily available from both Stanford University and Washington University (depending on what system you need it for). TeX version 2.0 (complete with the new METAFONT) is now available from both places. Stanford is the place to contact for any of the following systems: VAX/VMS (backup format), DEC 20/Tops-20 (dumper format), IBM VM/CMS, IBM MVS (not available just yet). Contact Maria Code at the following address for more information: Maria Code DP Services 1371 Sydney Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94087 Manuals and books are also available from Ms. Code. These include: The TeXbook, TeX the program, METAFONTbook, METAFONT the program, Computer Modern Typefaces, LaTeX, BibTeX, and TeXware. Tapes containing font libraries for 200, 240, and 300 dpi printers are also available, as are tapes containing font libraries for IBM 4250 and 6670 printers. The Unix TeX distribution is handled primarily by a few graduate students at Washington. This distribution contains everything you will need for a TeX environment on a Unix machine (including LaTeX, METAFONT, a wide selection of fonts, many device drivers, and many other utilities). Systems currently supported are: 4.1BSD, 4.2BSD, 4.3BSD, SUN2, SUN3, and Pyramid with OS version 2.5 or higher. Versions for Integrated Solutions, Celerity, and Ridge ports are known to exist, and will be added to the distribution at some time in the near future. A message I got from Pierre MacKay at Washington explains everything else one needs to know: ------------------------------ Everything that can be sent out in source form is included on the tape. There are no licensing restrictions except for those sites still using 4.1BSD. From them we need a copy of the 4.1 BSD Source license. (Even that can be got around if necessary, using our port subset). To order a full distribution of TeX [for a Unix site], send $75.00 (foreign sites $85.00, to cover the extra postage) payable to the University of Washington to: Pierre A. MacKay Department of Computer Science FR-35 University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195 ------------------------------ They also say they cannot handle purchase orders. The money (in both cases) is used to defray administrative costs. Since all this software is in the public domain, you can also legally copy everything from another site that already has it, or even borrow their distribution tape (except from a 4.1 site). There are also some commercial TeX systems avaliable for real money, but I know very little about those. I hope that this answers many questions that people out there have. I have no connection at all with the people who wrote or distribute TeX. I am just a very satisfied user, and I happen to have all the information in front of me to answer a question that I had seen pop up many times.