tpc@leibniz.UUCP (Tom Chmara) (08/18/88)
I'm not sure whether the PIC(1) pre-processor as written by Brian W. Kernighan is public-domain, or whether there is a public-domain variant. I'm interested in finding out whatever is currently known about its availability. Thanks muchly... ---tpc---
jlo@elan.UUCP (Jeff Lo) (08/24/88)
In article <129@leibniz.UUCP> tpc@leibniz.UUCP (Tom Chmara) writes: > I'm not sure whether the PIC(1) pre-processor as written by > Brian W. Kernighan is public-domain, or whether there is > a public-domain variant. I'm interested in finding out > whatever is currently known about its availability. Pic is not in the public domain. It is part of Documenter's WorkBench (DWB) from AT&T. It can be obtioned from AT&T or any of the third party DWB suppliers, including us (Elan). Write or call for more info. -- Jeff Lo ..!{ames,hplabs,uunet}!elan!jlo Elan Computer Group, Inc. (415) 322-2450
kevin@ttidca.TTI.COM (Kevin Carothers) (12/27/89)
In article <680@elan.elan.com> kg@elan.elan.com (Ken Greer) writes: >From article <1989Dec20.011755.2556@twwells.com>, by bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells): >> One of my coworkers called me to ask if I knew about any troff to postscript >> converters... to run on a Sun 386, and he can't spend $7K for eroff. > >Eroff for the 386i is $1,295, not $7,000. Elan's ditroff->PS driver >alone is $863. How about "xtroff" from most netlib sites? It's free, but I'm having an awful time getting this beast put together. This xtroff package requires the following: 1. It requires a program called "pic" in order to (apparently) run. Anyone know where I can get this package? 2. It requires a program called "bdftosnf" which is not anywhere to be found (that I know of). 3. There is absolutely no documentation on how to install it. If anyone can answer me these questions, I-4-1 would be extremely grateful. -- Kevin Carothers {philabs,csun,psivax}!ttidca!kevin
moraes@cs.toronto.edu (12/28/89)
kevin@ttidca.TTI.COM (Kevin Carothers) writes: >In article <680@elan.elan.com> kg@elan.elan.com (Ken Greer) writes: >>From article <1989Dec20.011755.2556@twwells.com>, by bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells): >>> One of my coworkers called me to ask if I knew about any troff to postscript >>> converters... to run on a Sun 386, and he can't spend $7K for eroff. > How about "xtroff" from most netlib sites? Sigh! To quote from the first line of the README for xtroff (if the xtroff you're thinking of is the same xtroff I'm thinking of) "This directory contains a Device Independent Troff previewer for a Sun workstation." So -- 1. xtroff reads in ditroff output 2. It lets the user preview this (on the screen on a Sun workstation as suntroff, on an X11 display as xtroff) 3. It does *NOT* generate PostScript (at least, not that I know of!) (If it does claim that it does generate PostScript anywhere, please let me know where and I'll nuke that mis-statement) As the READMEs explain, (somewhere in there, anyway:-) xtroff is a port of suntroff for the X Window System, Version 11. (preferably Release 3 upward) > This xtroff package requires the following: > 1. It requires a program called "pic" in order to (apparently) run. > Anyone know where I can get this package? Nope, xtroff does not require pic. It does require ditroff. And X11. Some pointers: pic is part of the Documenters WorkBench (DWB) software (available from AT&T, presumably available from your U*x vendor if you kick and scream loudly enough). DWB also includes ditroff, eqn and (I think) grap. pic is a preprocessor that translates a language for picture drawing into ditroff, grap is a similar graph drawing preprocessor, both pic and grap are similar in look and feel to eqn. (which, for those who came in late, is an equation preprocessor for troff) eqn is also part of DWB. Isn't unbundling fun! No, I don't know how you can get DWB -- ask your U*x salesperson or technical support. Explain that you do NOT mean the troff that generates CAT typesetter code. (Which is the troff that most vendors supply with their U*x) Say ditroff several times. DWB will cost you $$$. (If someone emails me *precise* directions for obtaining ditroff for any specific deviant(s) of U*x, I'll add that info to the README for xtroff's next release, provided such information is reasonably brief i.e. no ads!) Public domain *troff-to-something converters: Chris Lewis <clewis@eci386.uucp> posted a program called psroff to comp.sources.unix volume 20 -- psroff can convert from CAT troff output to ditroff output, which you should be able to feed into xtroff (I haven't tried). psroff also converts from CAT troff to PostScript or laserjet input. A program called tpscript was posted by Axel Mahler <axel%coma.UUCP%TUB.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu> (crediting Stephen Frede of the University of New South Wales, Australia as the author) to comp.sources.unix volume 15 -- tpscript converts from ditroff output to PostScript. Again, I haven't used it, but people who have tried it say it works well. Commercial products that I've heard about (see their ads or contact them for more info): Adobe sells a package of filters and utilities called TranScript that will convert from ditroff or CAT troff to PostScript. SoftQuad sells a complete package that includes a souped-up ditroff called sqtroff, and filters to send sqtroff output to various printers. (I believe sqtroff output is different from ditroff output, so sqtroff output filters may not work with ordinary ditroff) Elan sells a complete package that includes a souped-up ditroff called eroff, and filters to send eroff output to various printers. > 2. It requires a program called "bdftosnf" which is not anywhere to > be found (that I know of). bdftosnf is a reasonably standard part of the X11 distributions (used to be called fc under X.V11R2) xtroff uses bdftosnf to generate the fonts it uses when previewing. The latest version of xtroff does not need bdftosnf (and will use standard R4 fonts) and will be in the contrib section of the MIT X.V11R4 distribution, coming soon to an archive site near you. Watch comp.windows.x for the announcement of R4. > 3. There is absolutely no documentation on how to install it. There were (in any of the shipped distributions to any ftp archive site -- expo.lcs.mit.edu, uunet, osu-cis etc) or any of the comp.sources.x archive sites (uunet, osu-cis, etc) a README file, describing what files suntroff needs -- this isn't much different from xtroff. It does attempt to explain something about ditroff setups. a README.X11 file describing some details of the X11 configuration. comments in the Imakefiles. (knowledge of Imakefiles is a necessary pre-requisite to installing X11 software from source) If you didn't get all these, go talk to the person you got xtroff from. The current X11 version installs with 'make install' -- that's how we install it here on Suns, SGI Iris4Ds, Vaxstations and DECstations. (Then again, our machines are kinky and weird and sometimes battered into submission, so this may not work on your machines...) The instructions do assume that you have ditroff and X11 installed, and know a little bit about ditroff and X11. Since X11 will not run usefully without either of those, they seem somewhat reasonable pre-requisites. So, the install meta-instructions for xtroff: Read the README and README.X11. Try to find the ditroff and X11 directories mentioned in your environment. Fix the Imakefile variables, mainly WIDTHDIR and MAKEDEV. (VFONTS and or RSTFONTS if you aren't using X.V11R3. Note however, that I haven't built these fonts in eons, so this may not work without some persuasion) make Makefile (or ximake), make depend, make make install If anyone would care to clean up the READMEs so that an ordinary mortal can understand them, go right ahead. I'd appreciate a copy.
waldorf@venice.SEDD.TRW.COM (jerry waldorf) (03/08/90)
Where does one find pic? Is it public domain or does it cost?
system@asuvax.eas.asu.edu (Marc Lesure) (01/23/91)
Is there a public domain version of PIC available that works with 'ptroff'? If so, where? Thanks, ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Marc Lesure / Arizona State University / Tempe, AZ "Between the world of men and make-believe, I can be found..." "False faces and meaningless chases, I travel alone..." "And where do you go when you come to the end of your dream?" UUCP: ...!ncar!noao!asuvax!lesure Internet: lesure@asuvax.eas.asu.edu
fischer@iesd.auc.dk (Lars P. Fischer) (01/23/91)
>>>>> On 22 Jan 91 21:50:31 GMT, system@asuvax.eas.asu.edu (Marc Lesure) said:
Marc> Is there a public domain version of PIC available that works
Marc> with 'ptroff'?
You might like to look into the groff, the GNU version of troff. It
comes complete with tbl, eqn, pic, and whathaveyou. Haven't tried it
with ptroff, though.
Marc> If so, where?
groff is on prep.ai.mit.edu and other places.
/Lars
--
Lars Fischer, fischer@iesd.auc.dk | Politics is no exact science.
CS Dept., Univ. of Aalborg, DENMARK. | - Otto von Bismark