a27@nikhefh.nikhef.nl (Marcel Prins) (09/15/89)
TeX/LaTeX for the Amiga
PD vs. Commercial
This article is written because on my question, if there is an Amiga version
of TeX/LaTeX available, so many answers were written. I hope this article
will give an objective answer on the possebilities of both versions. I've
got no affilation with nor the PD-version neither the commercial version.
There are two versions of TeX/LaTeX available for the Amiga. A public domain
version and a commercial version. First let us examine the public domain
version. And who can tell us more about it than the author Frank Wuebbeling.
================================================================================
*PD-version of TeX/LaTeX for Amiga*
Hello,
Please excuse me for not writing to each and every one of you personally.
Here are answers to the most common questions we were asked
concerning our version of CommonTeX:
First, I am *very* sorry for my ambiguous first posting in TeXHAX:
I said that our version of Common TeX has been compiled
by GNU CC. I did so to stress that we did *not* use AZTEC
which proved to be slower in our tests. We do *not* have an
implementation of GNU CC on the AMIGA (although we are working
on it, somebody already has the preprocessor running). Instead,
we used an implementation of GNU on a SUN 3, produced a UNIX-
Compiler-Output and wrote a program that converts
UNIX-output to AZTEC-input (take care, there are several bugs
in the Linker of 3.6).
Second, the TeX-program itself is completely PublicDomain and
may be uploaded to any server and distributed from there.
However, I cannot do that because my permission on our university's
computer only allows mail to be sent. In addition, I don't see
any sense in distributing MBs of code onto the nets.
Third, copyrights of some of the object files used to compile
the DVI-Drivers forbid me to upload them to public servers.
In addition, we would like to keep track of where the programs
are going, in particular when updates are to be distributed.
For the same reasons, PD-Services are excluded from distributing
the drivers, and commercial users should get the original files
from us because they will always want to have the latest releases.
Fourth, 1 MB of main memory are required to run our Version.
2 Drives should be present (or 1 Drive and a HardDisk),
although you will also be able to work with 1 Drive and
RAMDisk (tedious).
Fifth, printers other than the NEC P6 are not yet supported.
We will do so when we see what other drivers are needed.
We have sources for almost all printers, including laser printers.
So, how can we give away the disks?
I found a PD-Service around my place that will do the task of
sending the disks away. But please: Try to get the disks somewhere,
if you can't, if you want to be notified of bugs or of further
printers being supported, or if you want to use the program commercially,
write to my adress given below. The disks will cost 10 DM (which equals
about 6.50 $) each. They would like the amount paid in advance, in particular
when the order is not from Germany.
Permission is then granted to copy and use
the programs freely, except for the purposes noted above. (These do not
apply to the CommonTeX-Disks).
If you are still interested, here is a list of the Disks currently
available:
1. Starter-Kit: CommonTeX, LaTeX-Styles and -inputs,documentation, 120DPI-
Previewer and (Draft-) Nec-P6-Driver (and intuition-installed
Printer), TeX-Inputs (plain, latex, german plain, german latex) -
4 Disks. This is the minimum constellation necessary for running
CommonTex. Maybe we will have the documentation printed (up to now
it is on disk only). If you order this one, you will get a registration
# and we will keep you informed about new drivers etc.
2. Initex: Initex, tfms, and the tex-formats source files (plain,
lplain, german.tex ...) needed for making new FMTs. 2 Disks.
3. CommonTeX Source: a source, compileable by AZTEC C that produces
INITEX or VIRTEX. 1 Disk. NOTE: trips will complain about this
version because the macro-references to the helplines had to be
cut, so that you will often not get the complete helplines.
1 Disk.
4. DVIAmiga Source: This one is documentary only, the source is
not compileable because certain object files that I do not
have permission to post are missing. However, it contains the
DVI-Drivers themselves without the connection to INTUITION.
1 Disk.
5. 180DPI/360DPI: This are the NEC P6-Drivers. Each consists of
1 Disk fonts and 1 Disk fonts/driver. We have a METAFONT version
at hand (not on the AMIGA) so that we can produce more fonts.
(By the way: which fonts are really needed? I heard that
AMIGATeX has at least double the amount of fonts that I have provided.
Somebody has a makefile for me that uses mf to create all useful fonts?)
2 Disks each.
6. 60,120DPI-Driver: A Previewer for HIRES rather than
INTERLACE. Ugly fonts. 1 Disk.
7. A 90 DPI-Driver for NEC P6. 1 Disk.
8. (Without guarantee:) My program for converting UNIX-compiler-output
to AZTEC-assembler-input.
8. More disks to come.
My adress is:
Frank Wuebbeling
Stadtlohnweg 33/E30
D-4400 Muenster
Germany
Tel. 0251/866261
I will be on holidays for two weeks from the 8th of September and
will hardly be able to answer all letters arriving in this time,
so please be a little patient.
================================================================================
This is all information I have from the public domain version. I haven't heard
anything from users of the PD-version, so I can't tell you all their
experiences with the program.
And now the commercial version. The author is Tomas Rokiki.
================================================================================
*Commercial version of TeX/LaTeX for Amiga*
The product includes:
---------------------
- TeX, LaTeX, BibTeX, SliTeX, IniTeX and MetaFont.
- The latest version includes support for including IFF graphics in documents.
- ARexx interface in TeX, Preview and Metafont (I don't know what it is but
that's what people say).
- Near-real-time previewing (if TeX is processing page 10, you can be previewing
pages 1-9, as TeX runs).
- Automatic font caching.
- Automatic font generation if you have MetaFont.
- A good manual.
- A lot of fonts.
and last but not least:
- Excellent customer support.
The product costs:
------------------
- The TeX-family for $200.00
- Metafont for a seperate charge.
- *EACH* DVI-driver $100.00.
So it's at least $300.00 for anything useful.
If you think that's a lot of money for something I've never seen, you can
send a disk and receive a demo version back. This is totally without costs.
The product can be bought:
--------------------------
Orders have to be send to:
Radical Eye Software
Box 2081
Stanford, CA 94309
USA
The users say:
--------------
- .... The author (and company - it's a one man operation) is on the net. He's
very helpful and very prompt with support .... I'm very happy with it and
the level of support I receive ....
- .... AmigaTeX is an EXCELLENT version of TeX for the Amiga ....
- .... A *wonderful, incredible, best-you-ever-saw (over_any_class of machines)
implementation* .... No, I've no affilation with R.E.S., others than
being impressed ....
- .... The developer is helpful and always making upgrades ....
================================================================================
So the decision is up to you. Get a copy of the PD-version or take some money
from the money-tree growing behind your house and buy the commercial-version.
The commercial-version sounds great but $300.00 ........
Marcel Prins
a27@nikhefh
PS If anybody has some information not mentioned yet or just want to talk
a bit, send e-mail....
********************************************************************************
* THANX for their response (in alphabetical order): *
********************************************************************************
Carmen Artino
Gary Barnes
Todd Carpenter
Jim Carson
denbeste@BBN.COM
Steve Giovannetti
Erik Kennedy
John Lindwall
Pat Palmer
Frank WuebbelingUH2@PSUVM.BITNET (Lee Sailer) (09/15/89)
Thanks for the excellent summary of Amiga's two TeXs. You mentioned that
AmigaTeX (Rokicki's) has "font cacheing", but some people might not know
what that is, so...
My version of AmigaTeX ( an *old* one) came with 5 disks full of fonts. In
most TeX systems, these fonts or the "right" subset of them have to be
present on the disk. Thus, a hard disk is usually necessary. Rokicki
modified TeX so that, if a font is not present on a single font floppy,
the user is prompted to insert the master font disk containing the needed
font, which is then copied over to the working font floppy.
In other words, a very useful TeX environment exists for a two floppy
Amiga.
Also, you briefly mentioned that you can view pages 1--9 on the screen
while TeX works on page 10 (and so on for pp. 1--N when TeX is on N+1).
You can also do things like EDIT a few paragraphs, run them thru TeX and
preview them, and then repeat this process til you get those paragraphs
right. (This requires an editor that speaks AREXX, tho' Rokicki offers
and AREXXed version of an Amiga Emacs.
Lastly, I run on a 512K machine, and sometimes hit memory limits. LaTeX
requires a bigger machine.
I think it is a great deal for $200.
lee