JPLILER@simtel20.arpa (John R. Pliler) (06/13/88)
This is probably old hat.. However I am looking for a conversion package to convert TeX documents into nroff format. Even better, where can I obtain sources for TeX? Thanks, John R. Pliler White Sands Missile Range -------
chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) (06/14/88)
In article <16150@brl-adm.ARPA> JPLILER@simtel20.arpa (John R. Pliler) writes: >... I am looking for a conversion package to convert TeX documents into >nroff format. I would say that it cannot be done, except that nroff and TeX both contain programming languages. Certainly it is not easy (even the other direction is quite difficult). >Even better, where can I obtain sources for TeX? The program is effectively in the public domain (although the sources are in fact copyright by D. E. Knuth). You need to be more specific; TeX is available on everything from IBM PCs to Crays (at least if they are running Unix: I believe there is a SysV port that should run on them). Unix-flavoured TeX is available from the University of Washington; contact Pierre MacKay <mackay@washington.edu> (or uw-beaver!mackay, or mackay@umpqua.cs.washington.edu for those ARPA mailers without MX). -- In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7163) Domain: chris@mimsy.umd.edu Path: uunet!mimsy!chris
dan@maccs.UUCP (Dan Trottier) (06/18/88)
In article <11945@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes: >In article <16150@brl-adm.ARPA> JPLILER@simtel20.arpa (John R. Pliler) writes: >>... I am looking for a conversion package to convert TeX documents into >>nroff format. > >I would say that it cannot be done, except that nroff and TeX both >contain programming languages. Certainly it is not easy (even the >other direction is quite difficult). Actually it can be done and has been done. Someone at the University of Toronto has done an excellent job. This is a sample of the README file. Hopefully it will be available in the near future to everyone. --- README --- texi2roff - texinfo to troff translator Alpha Version 1 February 1988 Copyright 1988 Beverly A. Erlebacher All Rights Reserved Some notes on this program -------------------------- texi2roff is a program to convert documents written using the texinfo macro package for TeX to be printable with nroff and troff. All texinfo commands are supported to some extent, even if by carefully discarding them. Since texinfo allows the use of arbitrary TeX commands provided their leading \ is converted to a @, many common TeX commands not explicitly in texinfo are supported as well. To see which commands are supported, and how thoroughly, examine the table.h file. Any command whose type in the table is DISCARD will disappear with all contained text. [A couple of lines about updates deleted ...] I would like to post it to comp.sources.unix and/or donate it to the GNU project for undying fame and glory, or perhaps transient notoriety, when it is in better shape, so please don't spread it around yet. [So please don't send me mail asking for it! ] [This is the amazing thing...] Before I took this thing on a few weeks ago, I knew almost nothing about either TeX or troff. I think some of the discarded commands could be implemented fairly easily by someone more conversant with troff. I am embarrassed to be hand-formatting this readme. [More lines deleted about how to use the utility and some of the limitations of the software. ] --- END OF README --- Of course it would be nice if TeX and Ditroff produced the same DVI format. I hate having to remember which device driver is for which formatter. Maybe Larry Wall will come out with a text formatter and we can all say goodbye to what we currently use :-) dan -- A.I. - is a three toed sloth! | ...!uunet!mnetor!maccs!dan -- Official scrabble players dictionary -- | dan@mcmaster.BITNET
erlebach@csri.toronto.edu (Beverly Erlebacher) (07/01/88)
In article <1255@maccs.UUCP> dan@maccs.UUCP (Dan Trottier) writes: >In article <11945@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes: >>In article <16150@brl-adm.ARPA>JPLILER@simtel20.arpa (John R. Pliler) writes:>>>... I am looking for a conversion package to convert TeX documents into >>>nroff format. > >>I would say that it cannot be done, except that nroff and TeX both >>contain programming languages. Certainly it is not easy (even the >>other direction is quite difficult). > >Actually it can be done and has been done. Someone at the University of >Toronto has done an excellent job. Thank you for these kind words. My program, texi2roff, solves a smaller problem than full TeX to troff conversion. It will convert documents using the Texinfo macro package to be printable with nroff or troff, using -ms. Many GNU documents use Texinfo, and texi2roff makes them readable for those who do not have access to TeX. >Hopefully it will be available in the near future to everyone. I've intended from the start to submit it to comp.sources.unix. I use some -ms macros, but as much as possible avoid macros and emit raw commands. Not everyone has -ms, and the mixture of raw commands and macros causes some problems. I'd like write a small macro package for it, but I dont know troff well enough to do this easily, and I'm very short of time these days. >[So please don't send me mail asking for it! ] I may post it as is, since it is in quite usable condition. If anyone needs it right now, like JPLILER@simtel20.arpa, write to me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Beverly Erlebacher ...uunet!utai!utcsri!erlebach erlebach@csri.toronto.edu