JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET (J.J. Lehett) (12/04/89)
Is there anyone that knows where I could get a copy of the Documents to Form other than in DVI form....preferably in straight ASCII type. ------- ******************************************************************** * J.J. * JJL101@psuvm.bitnet * * * Penn State Center for Academic Computing * * John Lehett * Computational Mathematics * ********************************************************************
richard@elroy.uh.edu (12/05/89)
In article <89338.035427JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET>, J.J. Lehett <JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET> writes: > Is there anyone that knows where I could get a copy of the Documents to > Form other than in DVI form....preferably in straight ASCII type. > > ------- > ******************************************************************** > * J.J. * JJL101@psuvm.bitnet * > * * Penn State Center for Academic Computing * > * John Lehett * Computational Mathematics * > ******************************************************************** I could also use an ASCII copy of the docs as I dont have a copy of TEX and would not care to attempt to hack my way through learning TEX even if I did have a copy of it. Thanks, Richard Coggins University Of Houston
t68@nikhefh.nikhef.nl (Jos Vermaseren) (12/05/89)
Something more about the doc's of FORM. 1: The manual was written in TeX format because it looks nice this way. It uses a customized macro package that was made by someone else that makes for a very booklet format when printed with two A5 pages on one A4 sheet in landscape format. It has some more features that are quite handy. The sources of the manual are nearly as long as the dvi file and because the future versions of FORM will be commercial it is considered bad policy to part with the LaTeX file. 2: It would be quite hard to change the paper size anyway because all examples are in verbatim and the size of the lines in the verbatim is trimmed to the A5 page size. It would look quite ugly with a different paper size. 3: I am preparing an article with a short description of the syntax, some examples etc. for publication. If there is a demand for it I can post the LaTeX sources of that article. Be warned though that it will be much easier to work with the manual. The manual is rather complete, and contains a tutorial. It should be possible to fit 2 A5 pages on one legal size page. I am sorry that in a posting of yesterday I sounded rather agitated about the paper size. There was somebody complaining about paper size and the fact that I didn't use `user(m/f)' and `he/she' everywhere, making the manual unreadable for everyone. Considering the amount of work it was to type in nearly 400Kbytes of text in a language that isn't my native language I think I'll exclude people that complain like that from the licensing in the future. Jos Vermaseren
covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) (12/05/89)
In article <5120.257a7166@elroy.uh.edu>, richard@elroy.uh.edu writes: > In article <89338.035427JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET>, J.J. Lehett <JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET> writes: > > Is there anyone that knows where I could get a copy of the Documents to > > Form other than in DVI form....preferably in straight ASCII type. > > I could also use an ASCII copy of the docs as I dont have a copy of TEX > and would not care to attempt to hack my way through learning TEX even > if I did have a copy of it. > Thanks, > Richard Coggins > University Of Houston I can use tha ASCII docs to FORM as well. Hey, it doesn't seem like many folks like the TeX docs to form. Must be some form of Elitest mentatlity to post docs to a program in a format that 99% of the people don't use. Hey, if you are good enough you will have TeX, right? :-) Oh well, it could have been done in nroff, which at least most UN*X people have access to. -- Richard E. Covert (covertr@gtephx) (602) - 581-4652 | AG Communications Systems, Phoenix AZ | UUCP: {ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc | att}!gtephx!covertr
mikew@wheeler.wrcr.unr.edu (Mike Whitbeck) (12/06/89)
In article <473eecf4.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes: |In article <5120.257a7166@elroy.uh.edu|, richard@elroy.uh.edu writes: || In article <89338.035427JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET|, J.J. Lehett <JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET| writes: || | Is there anyone that knows where I could get a copy of the Documents to || | Form other than in DVI form....preferably in straight ASCII type. || | |I can use tha ASCII docs to FORM as well. | |Hey, it doesn't seem like many folks like the TeX docs to form. | |Must be some form of Elitest mentatlity to post docs to a program |in a format that 99% of the people don't use. | |Hey, if you are good enough you will have TeX, right? :-) RIGHT ! :-) Seriously, TeX is available PD for just about everything (even Mac's 'n VAX) and no expertise is required to run a previewer like showdvi.prg (great PD - ware). ON THE SURFACE a dvi file is no more prejudicial than uudecode, zoo, or arc. All of these require finding and learning to get at the goodies on the Net --- However there is a problem with dvi files over submitting *.tex files. NOT ALL SITES ARE CREATED EQUAL - the form.dvi uses magnified fonts that some sites (like my ST and my SUN) don't have. Given the source .tex file one could compensate. TeX is ascii and can be read/reformatted without TeX or hardly any skills. So why send .tex? I printed the first 7 pages of form.dvi and YES the author does use the EXCELLENT math typesetting capabilities of TeX. - That makes it very useful to those with access to the Net (and hence the PD tex stuff). [useful but not essential perhaps- hey I only printed 7 of 250 pages]. BTW next week IF i can find the time and source for dvi-2-tty I'll look in to making an ascii file for posting. Please no mail no promises! Also please note that I have no idea what an ascii version would look like wrt the math typesetting. | |Oh well, it could have been done in nroff, which at least most UN*X |people have access to. | Richard E. Covert (covertr@gtephx) | (602) - 581-4652 || AG Communications Systems, Phoenix AZ | | UUCP: {ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc | att}!gtephx!covertr
gl8f@bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) (12/06/89)
In article <473eecf4.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes: >Hey, it doesn't seem like many folks like the TeX docs to form. Yes, if only some of them said it politely, then they could get them in another form. However, if all we have is a doc in TeX, how else do you propose to distribute them? >Must be some form of Elitest mentatlity to post docs to a program >in a format that 99% of the people don't use. Jos did you a FAVOR by translating these docs, and all you do is throw shit at him? How about "THANKS, JOS!!" for translating them in the first place? >Oh well, it could have been done in nroff, which at least most UN*X >people have access to. If you have Unix, you can get TeX for free. If you have an ST, you can get TeX for free. If you ASKED, probably someone would gladly print you a copy of the FORM docs. If you throw shit on them, however, they might not want to do it... ------ Greg Lindahl
davidli@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU (David Paschall-Zimbel) (12/06/89)
In article <473eecf4.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes: >Hey, it doesn't seem like many folks like the TeX docs to form. Might be because they didn't have any idea what to do with the .DVI file. Of course, if you're receiving comp.sys.atari.st, then it's fairly likely that you have access to a .DVI driver AND a laser printer, like I did. The docs are quite beautiful when printed on a laser printer. So, at least ONE person liked the documentation. >Must be some form of Elitest mentatlity to post docs to a program >in a format that 99% of the people don't use. Must be some form of Elitist mentality to DEMAND documentation to a program be put up in a manner convenient to _them_. The program didn't _HAVE_ to be posted in the first place. Would you have been happier if that was the case? If not, I'd suggest you take your 'Elitist' mentality and go somewhere else. >Hey, if you are good enough you will have TeX, right? :-) For the information of All Concerned. You do not need the entire TeX release to process a .DVI file. You need a .DVI driver (at our humble little site I have access to a DVItoPostScript and a DVItoLN03 driver), the requisite fonts and a printer. Heck, you could even use the DVItoEpson driver that's available via ftp. Most everyone who has access to network news has access to TeX, if they really wanted to take the time to find out... -- David Paschall-Zimbel
saj@chinet.chi.il.us (Stephen Jacobs) (12/06/89)
I can whine with the best of them (and do, often enough). The point that .dvi
isn't the most accessible form seems made. For those who can do nothing else,
i suggest using either a strings program or a dump utility on the dvi: enough
of the text is recoverable to let you know what the program is about.
Steve J.stephen@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (Steve Whitney) (12/06/89)
In article <473eecf4.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes:
[lots of stuff deleted]
`Hey, it doesn't seem like many folks like the TeX docs to form.
`
`Must be some form of Elitest mentatlity to post docs to a program
`in a format that 99% of the people don't use.
`
`Hey, if you are good enough you will have TeX, right? :-)
But you don't need TeX. There's a nice program called DVI2SLM that prints
DVI files on the SLM804. What? You don't have one? Oops. :-)
`Oh well, it could have been done in nroff, which at least most UN*X
`people have access to.
`
`--
` Richard E. Covert (covertr@gtephx)
` (602) - 581-4652
`| AG Communications Systems, Phoenix AZ |
` UUCP: {ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc | att}!gtephx!covertr
--
Steve Whitney "It's never _really_ the last minute" (())_-_(())
UCLA Comp. Sci. Grad. Student | (* *) |
Internet: stephen@cs.ucla.edu UCLA Bruin--> { \_@_/ }
GEnie: S.WHITNEY `-----' covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) (12/06/89)
In article <2400@hudson.acc.virginia.edu>, gl8f@bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) writes: > In article <473eecf4.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes: > > >Hey, it doesn't seem like many folks like the TeX docs to form. > > Yes, if only some of them said it politely, then they could get them > in another form. However, if all we have is a doc in TeX, how else do > you propose to distribute them? > > >Must be some form of Elitest mentatlity to post docs to a program > >in a format that 99% of the people don't use. > > Jos did you a FAVOR by translating these docs, and all you do is throw > shit at him? How about "THANKS, JOS!!" for translating them in the first > place? > > >Oh well, it could have been done in nroff, which at least most UN*X > >people have access to. > > If you have Unix, you can get TeX for free. If you have an ST, you can > get TeX for free. If you ASKED, probably someone would gladly print > you a copy of the FORM docs. If you throw shit on them, however, they ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > might not want to do it... > > ------ > Greg Lindahl Geez, Greg do you have a problem with me, personally, or what? I wasn't really complaining, at least not as vocally as others. But you flame me and no one else. What gives with you?? As far as Saying Thanks to a poster, just how often do you think that that happens?? Not often from what I see on this newsgroup. So, I don't think that you will see many thanks for a post that for most folks here in the USA could have been written in German or Latin for as much good as it does us. Agreed it may have fancy math symbols, but still the ASCII TeX file could have been posted instead of the binary .dvi file. Then at least we, those w/o TeX, could have looked at some of the material. So quite flaming me, huh buddy? . . . . . . . . -- Richard E. Covert (covertr@gtephx) (602) - 581-4652 | AG Communications Systems, Phoenix AZ | UUCP: {ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc | att}!gtephx!covertr
hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu) (12/07/89)
For folks who don't want to deal with it, there's a program dvitty that was posted to mod.sources (yeah, a long time ago) that will print DVI files on a dumb terminal. Somewhat ugly output, but it's usable. This was written for Unix, so it'll take a little work to get running. If there's any interest, lemme know. -- -=- PrayerMail: Send 100Mbits to holyghost@father.son[127.0.0.1] and You Too can have a Personal Electronic Relationship with God!
mikew@wheeler.wrcr.unr.edu (Mike Whitbeck) (12/07/89)
In article <10157@stag.math.lsa.umich.edu| hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu) writes: |For folks who don't want to deal with it, there's a program dvitty |that was posted to mod.sources (yeah, a long time ago) that will |print DVI files on a dumb terminal. Somewhat ugly output, but it's |usable. This was written for Unix, so it'll take a little work |to get running. If there's any interest, lemme know. |-- | -=- PrayerMail: Send 100Mbits to holyghost@father.son[127.0.0.1] | and You Too can have a Personal Electronic Relationship with God! dvitty is a mixed C and Pascal source code. I compiled it on a Sun. It crashed while doing the index to form.dvi. See my earlier post for availability of the form ascii file.