TeXhax@cs.washington.edu (TeXhax Digest) (02/10/90)
TeXhax Digest Friday, February 9, 1990 Volume 90 : Issue 16
Moderators: Tiina Modisett and Pierre MacKay
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Today's Topics:
Spanish TUG
Questions about recent TuGboat articles ...
latex/tex dvi-->printer driver for Toshiba Pagelaser 12
Tweaking superscripts
Blackboard bold versus bold
formatting lisp code in LaTeX
LaTeX double page landscape mode style
Expanding on plain.tex.
Help wanted (PK, PXL to PK, dvi2ps)
Re: PiCTeX manual on sun.soe.clarkson.edu
PicTeX manual, archives, public repentance
dvi2ps brain damaged ?
Crudetype in C
Solutions to 2 TeX puzzles
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Date: Sat, 27 Jan 90 15:34:26 EST
From: Eduardo_Ley@um.cc.umich.edu
Subject: Spanish TUG
Keywords: TeX, Spanish
Is there any Group of Users of TeX in Spanish?
Bitnet: user6hev@umichub.bitnet
Internet: Eduardo_Ley@um.cc.umich.edu
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Date: 26 Jan 90 14:27 GMT-0100
From: Ralf Treinen <yxoc@fb14vax.cs.uni-sb.de>
Subject: [MICRO2.SCHWER@crvax.sri.com: Questions about recent TuGboat articles
Keywords: TuGboat
From: Micro Mauler <MICRO2.SCHWER@crvax.sri.com>
Subject: Questions about recent TuGboat articles ...
Hi--
>From the recent issue of TuGboat Vol 10 No 3, where can I
download copies of:
1. The hypenation exception list from p.336?
2. The macros for the multicolumn environment by
Frank Mittelbach on p.407?
Also is the LABREA machine at Stanford accepting ANONYMOUS
logins? Seem I get a lot of rejections from that machine and I am
only going across El Camino!
Thanks, Len Schwer Micro2.schwer@crvax.sri.com
(408)241-7192
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1990 15:44:24 PST
From: Max Hailperin <mxh@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
As far as I can tell, labrea is accepting anonymous logins. It is rather
overloaded during peak times, so I would encourage you to try off-peak.
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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 13:26 CST
From: BONOMO <@vms3.macc.wisc.edu:BONOMO@UWMFE.DecNet>
Subject: latex/tex dvi-->printer driver for Toshiba Pagelaser 12
Keywords: dviware, Toshiba Pagelaser
Has anyone there used or heard of a latex/tex dvi-->printer driver for
the Toshiba model Pagelaser12 laser printer? I've seen them for other
Toshibas at Utah, but not for this one. Any ideas?
Richard Bonomo
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Date: Thu, 25 Jan 90 12:34:12 EST
From: Seth Gordon <sethg@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Tweaking superscripts
Keywords: superscripts
At the office where I work, we have two macros:
\def\vek#1{\overline{#1}}
\def\gbb#1{\overline{\overline{#1}}}
Unfortunately, in a construction like $\vek E_s^{(D)}$, the superscript
bumps into the line. I have been fixing the problem manually, i.e,
changing the above formula to $\vek E_s^{\,(D)}$, but I would like a way
to fix it automatically. Is there a way to tweak the italic correction
or one of the other typesetting parameters such that math superscripts
are moved a thin-space to the right?
"It is a capital offense to sell Buffalo Wings on Arrakis." --Sherian
: bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!sethg / standard disclaimer
: Seth Gordon / MIT Brnch., PO Box 53, Cambridge, MA 02139
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Date: 25 Jan 1990 11:39:05-EST (Thursday)
From: "Victor S. Miller" <VICTOR%YKTVMX@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Blackboard bold versus bold
Keywords: fonts, bold
I had always thought that the reason for using "Blackboard Bold" (doubling
the lines on various letters) on a blackboard, was that it was almost
impossible to indicate boldface with chalk (making the letters heavier
just slows you down). When going into type the accepted thing to do was
to use regular boldface for Z, Q, N etc. However, AMSTeX has a blackboard
bold font, and since it's come into fairly common use I've seen more and
more papers using this font. On the other hand LaTeX doesn't use this
font (though, of course it could easily be used in it). What are people's
opinions about the stylistic desirability of using blackboard bold in
printed papers instead of bold?
Victor Miller victor@ibm.com
IBM Research
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Date: Sun, 28 Jan 90 14:12:56 EST
From: rjc@cs.brown.edu
Subject: formatting lisp code in LaTeX
Keywords: LaTeX, lisp
Does anybody know of a good way to format lisp code in LaTeX? Right now
my only alternatives are to put it in \verbatim or to do some really
ugly stuff in the tabbing environment.
Any help greatly appreciated.
==> Randy <==
csnet: rjc@cs.brown.edu Randy Calistri
bitnet: rjc@browncs.bitnet Box 1910
arpa: rjc%cs.brown.edu@relay.cs.net Computer Science Dept.
uucp: ...!{ihnp4,decvax}!brunix!rjc Brown University
(401) 863-7662 [office] Providence, RI 02912
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Date: Thu, 25 Jan 90 08:20:02 EST
From: ramsdell@linus.mitre.org
Subject: LaTeX double page landscape mode style
Keywords: landscape, dvidvi
I have received no word in response to my query for LaTeX styles
designed for a page size of 5.5x8.5 inches. This size is of interest
because one could print two pages in landscape mode on USA standard
8.5x11 inch paper, and then cut the paper in two.
If one had a such a style, the program dvidvi could be used to place
two pages on one piece of paper. The dvidvi program converts a dvi
file into another dvi file, performing pagination tricks. I suspect
dvidvi was written by Tom Rokicki, but his name does not appear in the
sources.
dvidvi is available through the clarkson archive server in
archive directory: tex-programs/dvidvi
mail to archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu the single line
``help'' for documentation on the archive server
it is also available by anonymous ftp on
sun.soe.clarkson.edu:pub/tex-programs/dvidvi
John
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Date: Thu, 25 Jan 90 12:59:27 EST
From: Karl Berry <karl@claude.umb.edu>
Subject: Expanding on plain.tex.
Keywords: TeX, macros
I have finished a preliminary version of the `expanded plain'
macros I mentioned in a recent note to TeXhax. Features
include automatic cross-references, tables of contents, double
column output, macros to make BibTeX usable, and even some documentation.
If you want to test them (I am sure many bugs remain), send
me a note, and I'll get them to you. After I have some
more confidence in them, they will be generally released.
Karl karl@cs.umb.edu ...!harvard!umb!karl
If neither of those work, try karl@ai.mit.edu.
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Date: Sat, 27 Jan 90 17:06:18 EST
From: purtill@math.mit.edu
Subject: Help wanted (PK, PXL to PK, dvi2ps)
Keywords: PK, PXL to PK, dvi2ps
I need one of the following:
1) A PK file for the AMS font 'msym10' \scaled\magstep1 suitable for
use on a digital LN03 laserprinter via the dvips writen by Tomas
Rokicki <rokicki@polya.stanford.edu>. (I don't know which bits of that
information are relevant).
OR
2) A PXL to PK coversion program so that I can generate #1 from an
existing PXL file.
OR
3) Better yet, a DVI to PostScript coverter that knows about PXL
files *and* TPIC specials (including shading).
OR
4) Best of all, a real 12pt font with capital letters like in msym10.
These are the ones with extra verticle lines as in '|R' for the reals.
Actually, I only need 'C', 'R', 'N', and 'Z'.
Any help on any of these would be appreciated. Please MAIL me, I will
summarize if anyone cares.
[For those who care: I have accounts on two systems. One still has
PXL files, but no DVI to PS program that understands TPIC specials
(generated by EEPIC); the other is up to date, with PK files, but it
doesn't have the msym10\scaled\magstep1. I have the source for the
dvips (which understands TPIC \specials) program in #1, so it could
run on either, BUT it does not seem to understand PXL files...].
^.-.^ Mark Purtill purtill@math.mit.edu (617)623-6238 - H
((")) Dept. of Math, MIT 2-229, Cambridge, MA 02139 (617)253-1589 - O
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 90 20:30 PST
From: DHOSEK@HMCVAX.CLAREMONT.EDU
Subject: Re: PiCTeX manual on sun.soe.clarkson.edu
Keywords: PiCTeX manual
The PiCTeX manual is available from the TeX Users Group for $30.
You should not have a copy of any DVI file for this manual (a few
were distributed by mistake). The royalties for the PiCTeX manual
are the only compensation Michael Wichura receives for his work
on that package, so by stealing a copy (which is what you are
doing if you print the DVI file or Xerox somebody else's copy),
you are depriving him of his proper share of the profits from his
work and decreasing the likelihood of his releasing any other
interesting macro packages into the public domain in the future.
The address for the TeX Users Group is:
P.O. Box 9506
Providence, RI 02940 (USA)
Phone: 401-751-7760
E-mail: tug@math.ams.com
-dh
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Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 09:21 CDT
From: U2591AA@VMS.UCC.OKSTATE.EDU
Subject: PicTeX manual, archives, public repentance
Keywords: PiCTeX manual
First, let me say I am sorry that I tried to get a copy of the PicTeX
manual from the Clarkson archive. I didn't know it was copyright
protected until I sent my note to TeXhax.
Secondly, the information (README?) file in the pictex directory
on the Clarkson archive says nothing about the Right Way to obtain
the PicTeX manual. Perhaps this can be remedied. Also, I think the
fragmented piece of the PicTeX manual which exists in this directory should
be deleted so as not to lead others astray.
Scott McCullough u2591aa@vms.ucc.okstate.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 90 01:18:28 EST
From: Allan Adler <ara@lom1.math.yale.edu>
Subject: dvi2ps brain damaged ?
Keywords: dviware
One of the reasons I have been thrashing about trying to get metafont
and related software to work is that a year or so ago I received a copy
of the package mtex. I don't remember how I got it, only that I learned
about it from the Music Research mailing list. What mtex does is to
print music and to do that it comes with lots of metafont files with
names like music16.mf, beam16.mf, slurdd16.mf, slurdu16.mf,etc in which
stuff like beams and slurs and notes and staves are defined as characters
in new fonts. So the first thing one has to do is learn to use metafont.
Using the little I have learned so far, I managed to compile all of the
font files and obtained .tfm and .300gf files . It was also necessary
to hack some of the tex files that came with it so that the .tfm files
were found in my directory (supposedly setting some environment parameters
does this but that didn't work for some reason),e.g.
\font\music=/usr/u/ara/MUSIC/mtex/music16 instead of
\font\music=music16
After that, I was able to send the tex files documenting the package through
TeX and got .dvi files. Then I wanted to run dvi2ps on it (I have for
the moment given up on trying to get dvialw to do the job. It seems to
have the same problem with environment variables...). Now, the font files
for mtex are in my own directory and I had to communicate that to dvi2ps
so I used the -a option of dvi2ps and typed
dvi2ps -a . mtexinfoenglish > mtexinfoenglish.ps
Naturally, I first had to copy all of the .*gf files that dvi2ps might
ever want to look at from /usr/lib/tex/fonts to my own directory, and
I did that. It is to the credit of dvi2ps that it managed to find
all of the fonts from /usr/lib/tex/fonts that I copied to my own directory.
But what it did with the fonts that I had compiled from the mtex distribution
is, I think, remarkable. Here's what it did: it found one font, namely
slurdd16.300gf I think, and used it when it was called for. But whenever
it needed another font from the mtex distribution, for some reason it
always substituted slurdd16.300gf for it, and that is a fiasco.
Is there any reason why dvi2ps should behave like that ?
Allan Adler
ara@lom1.math.yale.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 9:59:51 GMT
From: Dr R M Damerell (RHBNC) <damerell@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK>
Subject: Crudetype in C
Keywords: crudetype
Crudetype wouldnt work with some versions of Unix Pascal (in fact
there is no such language as Unix Pascal; instead there are many different
languages of the same name). So I managed to translate it into C using
web2c. This process was very messy, because there are many parts of
Standard Pascal that web2c cannot translate correctly. In order to get
around these difficulties, I had to make extensive changes to all the
source files of web2c, and write Emacs functions to edit Crudetype into
a form that modified web2c could handle.
Therefore I see no point in distributing the source; instead I am going
to send out the C code file. This works on all the compilers I have
access to. I hope to get copies onto the Unix-tex archive at washington
and the archive at Aston. It is one file, 100KB, but compressed and
btoa-ed to 50KB. To use, you need atob ; uncompress ; and the site.h
configuration file that should come with the standard Unix TEX distribution.
mark
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Date: Sun 28 Jan 90 13:23:07-EST
From: Michael Downes <MJD@MATH.AMS.COM>
Subject: Solutions to 2 TeX puzzles
Keywords: TeX puzzles--solutions
Here are solutions for the TeX puzzles that appeared in TeXhax 89 no
105. Stephan von Bechtolsheim in TeXhax 89 no 111 correctly identified
the problem in the second puzzle as a catcode problem, and a few other
answers came to me directly. It turns out that the first puzzle is
also a catcode problem, with a slightly different twist.
A brief review of puzzle 1. The log file contained
> \frak=macro:
#1->{\fam \frakfam \relax #1}.
l.5 Test: $u\in H^1(\show\frak
\frak G,Z_2)$.
?
! Use of \frak doesn't match its definition.
l.5 Test: $u\in H^1(\show\frak\frak G
,Z_2)$.
The tricky part here is that the meaning of the \frak macro, as reported by
\show, looks exactly as it should. It appears that \frak looks
ahead for one argument and sets it inside a pair of braces, changing the
math family to "\frakfam" so that the argument (presumably a letter) would
be taken from a Fraktur font. If it weren't for the error message,
everything would be hunky-dory.
Thus we have an apparent contradiction: the meaning given by \show is
correct, yet TeX reports an error. There are a number of different
hypotheses you could test (roughly in order of decreasing probability): (1)
The file that I was editing is not the file that is going through TeX. (2)
Somebody has changed the definition of \show so that after showing the
meaning of a macro it redefines the macro to be something else. (3)
Somebody has catcoded the space character to be active and defined it as
outer. (4) Solar radiation from a massive solar flare is rearranging some
bits in the stream that TeX is seeing. (5) There's a bug in TeX.
However, the first hypotheses is obviously wrong if (as was the case
with me) the \show\frak had just been inserted during the previous
edit. The log file clearly shows that it's present where it should be.
If hypothesis (2) were true the information given at the point of the
\show would include a couple of additional lines showing the expansion
of \show (unless perhaps you're running TeX 3.0 and \errorcontext has
been set to a low enough number). If hypothesis (3) were true the error
message would be different ("Runaway argument?"). If hypothesis
(4) were true the disturbance in the computer system would almost
certainly be noticeably more extensive.
But hypothesis (3) is on the right track. If everything looks fine, but
it doesn't run fine, suspect a catcode problem, because the only
information not displayed by the \show command is the category codes of
the characters involved.
When this error message came up in my work, I was helping someone else
with a document that \input several macro files I hadn't seen before. A
little investigation into the macro files revealed that in one of them
the catcode of the # character had been changed to 12 in order to make
it easier to type the printed # symbol.
PUZZLE NO. 2:
Briefly, in the test file \two was defined to be the number 2 and
\twotoo was also defined to be a 2, but in a more complicated way
using \uccode. \two was accepted by TeX as the assignment value
for a count register, whereas \twotoo was not:
! Missing number, treated as zero.
<to be read again>
2
l.7 \testcount=\twotoo
\showthe\testcount
? h
A number should have been here; I inserted `0'.
(If you can't figure out why I needed to see a number,
look up `weird error' in the index to The TeXbook.)
The problem was that the `2' character in the definition of \twotoo
had a catcode of 11, because it was created by uppercasing the
letter `b' (after changing the \uccode of `b') and a character token
created by \uppercase has the same catcode as the lowercase token.
That's one part of the answer; the second part is remembering that
a valid number in TeX has to have digits with category 12---not
category 11. Except that it's a little more complicated than that
because hex digits A--F are accepted by TeX if their catcode is
either 11 or 12---see the TeXbook, p. 269.
Michael Downes "... some types of mistakes
Technical support group are very hard to make"
American Mathematical Society ---TeXbook, p. 295
Internet: mjd@math.ams.com
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