vlsi4@erato.cs.kun.nl (Freddy Aries) (10/04/90)
I am quite new to the TeX scene, and I heard about the TeX versions for
the Amiga. I heard there is AmigaTeX (commercial), CommonTeX, TeX 3.0 and
PasTeX. Could anybody please explain to me what the differences between
these versions are (reviews would be appreciated).
Thanks in advance,
Freddy Aries
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A F
F Freddy Aries A
A Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science F
F University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands A
A Email: vlsi4@erato.cs.kun.nl F
F A
AFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFhuebner@aero.aero.org (Robert Huebner) (10/08/90)
In article <2252@wn1.sci.kun.nl>, vlsi4@erato.cs.kun.nl (Freddy Aries) writes: |> I am quite new to the TeX scene, and I heard about the TeX versions for |> the Amiga. I heard there is AmigaTeX (commercial), CommonTeX, TeX 3.0 and |> PasTeX. Could anybody please explain to me what the differences between |> these versions are (reviews would be appreciated). I'd like to add one thing to this question: Is there a version of LaTeX out for the Amiga? The only reason I ask is because we use it here on Suns, but if one of the others (AmigaTeX, PasTeX, etc.) is better, I'll gladly switch. huebner@aerospace.aero.org The Aerospace Corporation
@utrcgw.utc.com:mark@ardnt1 (mark) (10/09/90)
I am forwarding the answer of our local expert. If you have any questions, you can send Email to me or directly to Ray. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Mark Stucky | Email: | | United Technologies Research Center | mark%ardnt1@utrcgw.utc.com | | East Hartford, CT. | MAST%UTRC@utrcgw.utc.com | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ on Tue, 9 Oct 90 09:04 EDT, "William R(ay) Brohinsky" <RAYBRO%UTRC@utrcgw.utc.com> said: on 8 Oct 90 15:46:45 GMT,Robert Huebner <huebner@aerospace.aero.ORG> said: Robert> In article <2252@wn1.sci.kun.nl>, vlsi4@erato.cs.kun.nl (Freddy Aries) writes: Robert> |> I am quite new to the TeX scene, and I heard about the TeX Robert> |> versions for the Amiga. I heard there is AmigaTeX (commercial), Robert> |> CommonTeX, TeX 3.0 and PasTeX. Could anybody please explain Robert> |> to me what the differences between these versions are (reviews Robert> |> would be appreciated). Robert> I'd like to add one thing to this question: Is there a version Robert> of LaTeX out for the Amiga? The only reason I ask is because we Robert> use it here on Suns, but if one of the others (AmigaTeX, PasTeX, Robert> etc.) is better, I'll gladly switch. Robert> huebner@aerospace.aero.org Robert> The Aerospace Corporation Great Iguanas! What a question! (Hopefully, the answer will be equal to it!) First off, Freddy, I am a user of AmigaTeX and TeX on Vaxen and Unix systems. I find that the AmigaTeX is the equal in most ways and better in some to the VAX systems' TeX, and likewise the UNIX systems' TeX. The METAFONT previewer beats X-windows' previewer by hours, and in no case has Tom Rokicki skimped on the implementation. I highly recommend it. heubner@aerospace.aero.org: (sorry, I edited out your first name too quickly) LaTeX is a macro for TeX. That means that if you have the file lplain.tex and an executable initex, you can make a lplain.fmt file, which is called by tex &lplain <filename> Note: TeX is only a small part of what the TeXbook describes: another 600 operators come from using plain.tex with initex to create plain.fmt which is called similarly with tex to make TeX. Thus, you can get TeX by starting with plain.fmt, LaTeX by starting with lplain.tex, and AMStex by starting with a format file made from the amstex macro file, and etex consists of tex run with the plain.fmt and adding eplain.tex (the macro file by Karl Berry which is introduced in the book `TeX for the Impatient'). These are all macros, and while plain, lplain, and the AMS macro are designed to typeset specific formats, (well, maybe not plain.tex), eplain.tex is a macro which contains macros that make writing more macros easier... Also, for LaTeX, you will require the font metric files that correspond to the LaTeX fonts. CMR12 is an example: this is a 12-point Computer Modern Roman which is used by the [12pt] style, rather than just \mag1200'ing the CMR10 fonts. As far as style files, LaTeX has a skungeload, which are necessary if you intend to use any of those files. BK10.sty is used by \documentstyle[10pt]{book} and so on. The good news is two fold: any of these files are already available on your system at work, and can be transported to your amiga, (transporting them may be another question for another time) assuming that you have a working LaTeX at work. The other side of the coin is that AmigaTeX comes with everything you need for TeX and LaTeX, and contains the AMS macros (although the fonts need to be licenced if you want to use them for `profit', and are not included with AmigaTeX, you can get them by download). Back to the original questions: I have looked at PasTeX. The documentation is in German. I haven't used it, since it doesn't come with much in the way of fonts, and I can't read German. I don't recommend this kind of thing for a beginner. CommonTeX is something I have never persued. Someone (I think Chris Brand? wizard@sosaria?) has done a PD port of TeX3.0 for the amiga, and I got one of those files and had troubles at this end with UNIX->VAX->PC->amiga transfers, so I haven't finished looking at that. Final notes: Tom's AmigaTeX is currently at a revision of around 2.99r or s. This means that it has some of the features of 3.0, but without virtual fonts. His last newsletter said that he is working on that, but is waiting for further developments in postscript-interpreting libraries, so that the VF's could all be postscript, and the output could be on anything. This sounds exciting, but is still a future development. TeX3.0 is not an amiga implementation of TeX as such, but rather the latest version of TeX as a language from D. Knuth. METAFONT is up to 2.0, also. The new version includes things for international character sets, 8-bit inputs, virtual fonts, and some other things which are arcane to most normal users, but make the internals work better. If you can get it, and it works, great, but make sure that you know the differences between, for instance, amigatex at 2.99q and TeX3.0 and that you need 3.0 specific stuff before turning up your nose at an older version. Also, keep in mind that the only TeX for the amiga that is `supported' is AmigaTeX. Tom's support is superlative---not only through bix (the only official support for Amiga C is thru bix) but through his own BBS and through internet/bitnet e-mail as well! raybro%utrc@utrcgw.utc.com raybro on bix standard (?) disclaimer: I use amigaTeX. I don't sell it, I don't get any profit from recommending it, I get no kickbacks. I don't even know Tom Rokicki personally. I just think that it is an excellent product, and worth telling people about.
xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) (10/09/90)
In article <87926@aerospace.AERO.ORG> huebner@aero.aero.org (Robert Huebner) writes: >In article <2252@wn1.sci.kun.nl>, vlsi4@erato.cs.kun.nl (Freddy Aries) writes: >|> I am quite new to the TeX scene, and I heard about the TeX versions for >|> the Amiga. I heard there is AmigaTeX (commercial), CommonTeX, TeX 3.0 and >|> PasTeX. Could anybody please explain to me what the differences between >|> these versions are (reviews would be appreciated). > > I'd like to add one thing to this question: Is there a version of LaTeX out >for the Amiga? The only reason I ask is because we use it here on Suns, but >if one of the others (AmigaTeX, PasTeX, etc.) is better, I'll gladly switch. Yes, at least the commercial AmigaTeX product from Radical Eye software does include LaTeX in the distribution (though you have to purchase the manual separately -- that's how the author, Leslie Lamport, makes his money on LaTeX). I'm afraid I've never booted it up, since that wasn't the kind of thing for which I bought AmigaTeX, but the rest of the product is high quality, so the chances are good that the LaTeX is similar. Kent, the man from xanth. <xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us>
echarne@ics.uci.edu (Eli B. Charne) (10/09/90)
In <87926@aerospace.AERO.ORG> huebner@aero.aero.org (Robert Huebner) writes: >In article <2252@wn1.sci.kun.nl>, vlsi4@erato.cs.kun.nl (Freddy Aries) writes: >|> I am quite new to the TeX scene, and I heard about the TeX versions for >|> the Amiga. I heard there is AmigaTeX (commercial), CommonTeX, TeX 3.0 and >|> PasTeX. Could anybody please explain to me what the differences between >|> these versions are (reviews would be appreciated). > I'd like to add one thing to this question: Is there a version of LaTeX out >for the Amiga? The only reason I ask is because we use it here on Suns, but >if one of the others (AmigaTeX, PasTeX, etc.) is better, I'll gladly switch. I have used PasTeX to "build" LaTeX for the Amiga. I'm running it on a 3 meg Amiga 500, and have set it up to take advantage of that. The version I built (you have to set up PasTeXs memory defaults before building it) would probably run on an Amiga with 2 megs memory. I also spent a few days generating buccu fonts on a NeXT, and PasTeX really performs quite well with the fonts and lplain.fmt LatTeX format. -Eli -- echarne@ics.uci.edu // \\ ``To understand recursion you echarne@uci.bitnet \\ // \\ // need to understand recursion.'' echarne@nrtc.northrop.com \X/ \X/ --Andrew Koenig, 2nd Usenix C++ conf.
ttavolij@praxis.cs.ruu.nl (Thomas Tavoly) (10/10/90)
"William R(ay) Brohinsky" <RAYBRO%UTRC@utrcgw.utc.com> writes: [some deleted] >I have looked at PasTeX. The documentation is in German. I haven't used it, >since it doesn't come with much in the way of fonts, and I can't read >German. I don't recommend this kind of thing for a beginner. CommonTeX is >something I have never persued. Someone (I think Chris Brand? >wizard@sosaria?) has done a PD port of TeX3.0 for the amiga, and I got one ... I am currently doing a translation of the PasTeX documentation, which consists of some .tex files, so you'll have a nice manual to go with the program. Also, (as far as I know) PasTeX is a port of TeX3.0 Font disks can be ordered from the author. PasTeX is on abcfd20.larc.nasa.gov and will be updated when the docs have been finished, and after Georg has recovered from his HD crash. (And made his exams :) For further info, mail Georg Hessmann : hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thomas Tavoly, CS, Univ. of Utrecht, The Netherlands (the rain-all-day land) E-Mail: ttavolij@praxis.cs.ruu.nl Disclaimer: These opinions are rented, Yes, it ^^ IS a typo! not mine. -TT "What a piece of MaxiComm!" - Larry Phillips .sig version: sysVr4 (hmm...) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de (Georg Hessmann) (10/10/90)
In article <32880@nigel.ee.udel.edu> @utrcgw.utc.com:mark@ardnt1 (mark) writes: [...] >Back to the original questions: >I have looked at PasTeX. The documentation is in German. I haven't used it, >since it doesn't come with much in the way of fonts, and I can't read >German. I don't recommend this kind of thing for a beginner. CommonTeX is >something I have never persued. Someone (I think Chris Brand? >wizard@sosaria?) has done a PD port of TeX3.0 for the amiga, and I got one >of those files and had troubles at this end with UNIX->VAX->PC->amiga >transfers, so I haven't finished looking at that. Good news. The next version of PasTeX has a complete english documentation (thanks to Thomas Tavoly who has translated it!). If you have an AmigaTeX installation you have no problem to try PasTeX. It uses the fonts from AmigaTeX without any problem. It supports even font-caching. You can also use all macros and pk-fonts from UN*X TeX distributions. The TeX-programs from PasTeX are TeX3.0, too. They are not as fast as the AmigaTeX TeX-programs (initex, virtex), but they are 'pure' and they have an ARexx port to call an editor if an error occures. An sample set of ARexx scripts for an TeX environment (virtex <-> CED <-> ShowDVI) are also part of the PasTeX distribution. >Final notes: >Tom's AmigaTeX is currently at a revision of around 2.99r or s. This means >that it has some of the features of 3.0, but without virtual fonts. His >last newsletter said that he is working on that, but is waiting for further >developments in postscript-interpreting libraries, so that the VF's could >all be postscript, and the output could be on anything. This sounds >exciting, but is still a future development. > >TeX3.0 is not an amiga implementation of TeX as such, but rather the latest >version of TeX as a language from D. Knuth. METAFONT is up to 2.0, also. >The new version includes things for international character sets, 8-bit >inputs, virtual fonts, and some other things which are arcane to most >normal users, but make the internals work better. If you can get it, and it >works, great, but make sure that you know the differences between, for >instance, amigatex at 2.99q and TeX3.0 and that you need 3.0 specific stuff >before turning up your nose at an older version. > >Also, keep in mind that the only TeX for the amiga that is `supported' is >AmigaTeX. Tom's support is superlative---not only through bix (the only >official support for Amiga C is thru bix) but through his own BBS and >through internet/bitnet e-mail as well! But it is expensive. OK, it's a very good implementation, but IMHO it's too expensive (here in Germany) for programs that are PD on every other computer system. On UN*X systems, Tom's postscript driver is PD and comes with source. On the Amiga, I must pay for it. I will support my TeX distribution so long as I have access to the net. :-) As soon as I have my next version finished (my hard disk is dead :-( ), I will send it to comp.binaries.amiga. This version will come with an english documentation and all what you need, to set up an complete TeX environment. >raybro%utrc@utrcgw.utc.com Georg. -- hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de hessmann@unipas.uucp
hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de (Georg Hessmann) (10/10/90)
In article <1990Oct9.151531.24933@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: |In article <87926@aerospace.AERO.ORG> huebner@aero.aero.org (Robert Huebner) writes: |>In article <2252@wn1.sci.kun.nl>, vlsi4@erato.cs.kun.nl (Freddy Aries) writes: |>|> I am quite new to the TeX scene, and I heard about the TeX versions for |>|> the Amiga. I heard there is AmigaTeX (commercial), CommonTeX, TeX 3.0 and |>|> PasTeX. Could anybody please explain to me what the differences between |>|> these versions are (reviews would be appreciated). |> |> I'd like to add one thing to this question: Is there a version of LaTeX out |>for the Amiga? The only reason I ask is because we use it here on Suns, but |>if one of the others (AmigaTeX, PasTeX, etc.) is better, I'll gladly switch. | |Yes, at least the commercial AmigaTeX product from Radical Eye software does |include LaTeX in the distribution (though you have to purchase the manual |separately -- that's how the author, Leslie Lamport, makes his money on LaTeX). If you have TeX (initex, virtex) you have LaTeX, too. You can copy the LaTeX files from every TeX site (anonymous ftp). So LaTeX via PasTeX is no problem. :-) |I'm afraid I've never booted it up, since that wasn't the kind of thing for |which I bought AmigaTeX, but the rest of the product is high quality, so |the chances are good that the LaTeX is similar. LaTeX consists only of many macro files. If you have a fast and good TeX implementation (the programs initex and virtex) than you have a fast plain-TeX and a fast LaTeX. |Kent, the man from xanth. Georg. (the man from bavaria :-) -- hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de hessmann@unipas.uucp
mccauley@uns-helios.nevada.edu (Dan McCauley) (10/11/90)
PasTeX runs great on my A1000 w/ 2 megs. I've made a LaTeX version which runs fine. The previewer that comes with PasTeX is a very nice piece of work. Thanks to Georg Hessmann! One question - does anyone know of a PD printer driver for Epson LQ-500's? There is a program on newxanth called dvi2e24 which is part of a zoo file texutils.zoo (not part of PasTeX) but I haven't been able to get it to work. Any help would be appreciated.
jmeissen@oregon.oacis.org ( Staff OACIS) (10/11/90)
In article <1990Oct10.152645.19129@forwiss.uni-passau.de> hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de (Georg Hessmann) writes: >In article <32880@nigel.ee.udel.edu> @utrcgw.utc.com:mark@ardnt1 (mark) writes: >But it is expensive. OK, it's a very good implementation, >but IMHO it's too expensive (here in Germany) for programs >that are PD on every other computer system. This is not exactly accurate. There are PD implementations on most other systems, but there are also commercial implementations for most systems. The considerations are the same as for other programs that have PD "equivilants": it all depends on how much of your own time and effort you want to put into it, how much hand-holding you will need to get up and running, and how important support is. I don't know how expensive Tomas' product is in Germany, but in the States it is fairly reasonable considering most of the work is already done for you. And Tomas is always quite willing to help with any problems, whether it's a problem with AmigaTeX or just a question about how to use TeX macros. -- John Meissen .............................. Oregon Advanced Computing Institute jmeissen@oacis.org (Internet) | "That's the remarkable thing about life; ..!sequent!oacis!jmeissen (UUCP) | things are never so bad that they can't jmeissen (BIX) | get worse." - Calvin & Hobbes
hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de (Georg Hessmann) (10/12/90)
In article <28@oregon.oacis.org> jmeissen@oregon.oacis.org ( Staff OACIS) writes: >I don't know how expensive Tomas' product is in Germany, but in the States it >is fairly reasonable considering most of the work is already done for you. And >Tomas is always quite willing to help with any problems, whether it's a problem >with AmigaTeX or just a question about how to use TeX macros. AmigaTeX costs in Germany about 1000.-DM (=660$). (TeX with one printer-driver) Georg. -- hessmann@unipas.fmi.uni-passau.de hessmann@unipas.uucp
UH2@psuvm.psu.edu (Lee Sailer) (10/16/90)
>AmigaTeX costs in Germany about 1000.-DM (=660$). >(TeX with one printer-driver) Interesting. That is about 2 times what it costs here in the US. Someone is trying to make big bucks on postage 8-) lee