[comp.sys.ibm.pc] GhostScript executable for PCs ?

UD092096@NDSUVM1.BITNET (05/24/89)

I've seen people ask this question before, but have never seen an answer.
Is an executable version for IBM-PC type machines available for anonymous
ftp somewhere?  I know where to get the source code, but don't have a
Turbo-C compiler.

If anybody E-Mails an answer, I promise to summarize to the net.

Thanks

Barry Pederson    ud092096@ndsuvm1.BITNET   or   ud092096@vm1.nodak.edu

mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us (Marc Unangst) (05/25/89)

In article <2297UD092096@NDSUVM1>, UD092096@NDSUVM1.BITNET writes:
 >I've seen people ask this question before, but have never seen an answer.
 >Is an executable version for IBM-PC type machines available for anonymous
 >ftp somewhere?  I know where to get the source code, but don't have a
 >Turbo-C compiler.

I, on the other hand, do have a Turbo C compiler, but do not know where to
find the source code.  If it turns out that I can use it, and it's not
overly large (ftp'ing anything over about 500K gets to be a real drag
when it's your personal machine that's tied up, and it's done at 2400 baud),
and not too much work is required to make it compile under TC2.0, I
might consider compiling it.  Could someone please let me know where it
is?  (Mailed replies will be fine...)

What exactly is GhostScript?  From what I've heard, it's some sort of
Postscript clone.  What printers can it handle?  What, exactly, does it
DO?  Do you have to feed it an on-disk file?  Can you send it the printer
output of a program through a pipe?  Most importantly, will it work
with my Star NX-10 printer?  (The NX-10 is "mostly compatable" with the
Epson FX-80 (minor things that "nobody would want to do" are not supported,
such as setting the line spacing to 0/216 inches...Things that, unfortunately,
DVIESP uses...Grr...), and fully compatable with the IBM graphics printer.)

 >If anybody E-Mails an answer, I promise to summarize to the net.

This just about goes without saying, but I'll do the same.

--  
Marc Unangst
UUCP smart    : mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us
UUCP dumb     : ...!uunet!sharkey!mudos!mju
UUCP dumb alt.: ...!{ames,rutgers}!mailrus!clip!mudos!mju
Internet      : mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us

nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) (05/26/89)

In article <434.247B5B38@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us> mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us (Marc Unangst) writes:

   In article <2297UD092096@NDSUVM1>, UD092096@NDSUVM1.BITNET writes:
    >I've seen people ask this question before, but have never seen an answer.
    >Is an executable version for IBM-PC type machines available for anonymous
    >ftp somewhere?  I know where to get the source code, but don't have a
    >Turbo-C compiler.

   I, on the other hand, do have a Turbo C compiler, but do not know where to
   find the source code.  If it turns out that I can use it, and it's not
   overly large (ftp'ing anything over about 500K gets to be a real drag
   when it's your personal machine that's tied up, and it's done at 2400 baud),
   and not too much work is required to make it compile under TC2.0, I
   might consider compiling it.  Could someone please let me know where it
   is?  (Mailed replies will be fine...)

   What exactly is GhostScript?   From what I've heard, it's some sort of
   Postscript clone.
Right.
   What printers can it handle?
None, at the moment.

   What, exactly, does it DO?
Lets you preview PostScript output on your EGA screen.
   Do you have to feed it an on-disk file?
Yes.
   Can you send it the printer output of a program through a pipe?
No, but relatively straightforward C program would make it do that.
   Most importantly, will it work with my Star NX-10 printer?
As above, no.

--
--russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu])
I'm a right-to-lifer -- everyone has a right to earn a living sufficient to
feed himself and his family.

lmg@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (lawrence.m.geary) (05/26/89)

Does anyone know if GhostScript is related to the commercial
product GoScript?

-- 

     lmg@hoqax.att.com    Think globally ... Post locally    att!hoqax!lmg

madd@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Jim Frost) (05/26/89)

In article <924@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> lmg@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (lawrence.m.geary) writes:
|Does anyone know if GhostScript is related to the commercial
|product GoScript?

Yes.  No.

jim frost
madd@bu-it.bu.edu

mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu (05/26/89)

>Discussion about Ghostscript

Ghostscript is a partial Postscript clone. I have both the executable and
source fixed to compile under Microsoft C 5.1. I THINK (70% chance correct)
that it was from prep.ai.mit.edu.

In its present state Ghostscript is a toy. Mine works only to the 
screen. And, it is VERY SEVERELY crippled: it lacks save and restore.
I have NEVER gotten a canned postscript file (from another program)
to work. On the other hand, hand-written postscript examples do run,
though the output is fairly poor. It is best to consider this thing
a work-in-progress. Oh yes, it lacks fonts.

And, the code is a nightmare. It looks like the writer was brained-
washed into believing that the more layers of subroutine calls
you force a given functionality through, the better. Surprisingly,
it is quite fast on my Model 80, faster than YAP on the NeXt.

A new, fuller version is promised.

Doug McDonald

zs04+@andrew.cmu.edu (Zachary T. Smith) (06/25/89)

Russ,
     Ghostscript is a clone of the Adobe Postscript interpreter.
That is, it runs that language, writes stuff to a bitmap, and
controls when those bitmaps get dumped to a printer-- or to
EGA, which it supports under DOS.
     I once tried for ~6 hours to compile the thing, to no avail.
To be honest, I don't plan on trying again, unless I happen to
buy an HP laserjet sans Postscript in the near future, which
is only about 50% likely.
     If some good sole were to get this thing compiled and
functional, many people out there would be very grateful.
The program's basically gold. I.e., it promises to let Joe user
convert PS to other forms, which, if you'll notice, no other
graphic file conversion program will do.
     It's a great example of what GNU can do for people.

-Zach (zs04@andrew.cmu.edu)