verber@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu (Mark A. Verber) (09/28/89)
There seems to be at least four commonly used public domain dvi->ps print drivers for Unix boxes. There also seem to be a number of tools that make it easy to create and include drawings and diagrams in TeX, dvi, and PS files. It seems to be a shame that everyone has done their own dvi2ps driver with their own extensions, fixes, and improvements. I am trying to make a list of about various drivers: * What features the driver has? * Where the driver can be ftped from? I am also looking for info on drawing tools, pre/post-processing tools, etc for drawings and figures. I will be happy to post a summary after I get responces. It would be nice to try and merge the various versions of dvi2ps back into a single driver that would replace the current dvi2ps on the Unix-TeX dist. -- Mark A. Verber System Programmer, Physics Department, Ohio State University verber@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu (614) 292-8002
smithda@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu (J. Daniel Smith) (09/28/89)
In article <860@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu> verber@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu (Mark A. Verber) writes: >It seems to be a shame that everyone has done their own dvi2ps driver >with their own extensions, fixes, and improvements. I am trying to >make a list of about various drivers: Amen!!!!!!!!!!! Its nice to have lots of people working on dvi->ps drivers, but it is also getting very confusing with all these different versions. I have source code for 4 or 5 different dvi->ps drivers on a machine here. Each one has a few features that are unique to it. (For example the one that is currently installed as dvi2ps will do PostScript scaling of a CM bitmap font if it can't find the right size. This is really neat, because then one can use say \font\bigtt=cmtt at 73.2pt without any problems). The list of features goes on for each different version. >I will be happy to post a summary after I get responces. It would >be nice to try and merge the various versions of dvi2ps back into >a single driver that would replace the current dvi2ps on the Unix-TeX >dist. This would be WONDERFUL. Let's get a big long list together of what everybody wants in their dvi->ps. I don't think there would be to many mutually-exclusive type things. This might be a big driver with lots of options, but I think that is much better than the current state of too many drivers. So, here is what I would like in my dvi->ps (just off the top of my head): * GOOD PostScript output (I assume this also means fast PS output) * Inclusion of other PS files (EPSF format). Since the output will also be EPSF, it should be possible to include the output from a previous run of dvi2ps as a PS file in another..... * Support of ALL font formats. I know PKs are the best, but we only want ONE driver floating around... * Support of Internal PostScript fonts. A naming standard needs to be agreed upon here. I have TFMs called Times-Roman.tfm and t-rom.tfm. * Support of other PS fonts. Both user defined fonts (so I can generate Logos and the like in PS), and downloadable fonts (so I can use fonts from Adobe) * Font substitution. Substitute missing fonts with "close" fonts, or with resident PS fonts. * I like the PS font scaling of Bitmaps mentioned above. * Control over the PS encoding vector (so I can use those neat characters that are in a PS font from TeX. A CM section symbol doesn't look very nice if everything else is Helvetica). Also, I think that the PS accented characters are probably better than with TeX. * All options controllable from a file. A file like /usr/local/tex/.dvi2ps for standards for the local system and ~/.dvi2ps for however I might want things set up differently. Of course the command line would override all of this, but it would be nice just to type dvi2ps filename most of the time. * Correct VM memory usage. I should be able to print the PS file generated by dvi->ps on all PS printers. I'm sure there are many, many, many more features that people would like to see. Some have become almost "standard" like landscape printing, etc. Anybody want to tell us out there in NetLand why this can't be done, or take a guess as to how long such an task might take? Dan ========================================================================= J. Daniel Smith Internet: smithda@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu Michigan State University BITNET: smithdan@msuegr Yea, from the table of my memory, I'll wipe away all trivial fond records. - William Schakespeare, Hamlet =========================================================================
spqr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Sebastian Rahtz) (09/28/89)
the following features were requested in a postscript driver for TeX 1 * GOOD PostScript output (I assume this also means fast PS output) 2 * Inclusion of other PS files (EPSF format). Since the output will 3 * Support of ALL font formats. I know PKs are the best, but we 4 * Support of Internal PostScript fonts. A naming standard needs to 5 * Support of other PS fonts. Both user defined fonts (so I can 6 * Font substitution. Substitute missing fonts with "close" fonts, 7 * I like the PS font scaling of Bitmaps mentioned above. 8 * Control over the PS encoding vector (so I can use those neat 9 * All options controllable from a file. A file like 10 * Correct VM memory usage. I should be able to print the PS file all but 3 and 7 are already in dvitops (not to be confused with dvi2ps, dvitps or dvips). Since I started to use it at the start of this year, I have seen no reason to return to the mad world of the everchanging dvi2ps versions -- Sebastian Rahtz S.Rahtz@uk.ac.soton.ecs (JANET) Computer Science S.Rahtz@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Bitnet) Southampton S09 5NH, UK S.Rahtz@sot-ecs.uucp (uucp)
sylvain@roxy.chorus.fr (Sylvain Langlois) (09/28/89)
In article <4776@cps3xx.UUCP> smithda@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu (J. Daniel Smith) writes: > This would be WONDERFUL. Let's get a big long list together of what > everybody wants in their dvi->ps. I don't think there would be to > many mutually-exclusive type things. This might be a big driver with > lots of options, but I think that is much better than the current > state of too many drivers. You should try TPS (a "TeX PostScript package") from Stephan Bechtolsheim; it got most of everything you are looking for. I'm using it for about a year now and I'm pretty happy with it (although I would appreciate it would be a bit faster...). It is available by anonymous ftp from cssun.tamu.edu. Retrieve tps.tar.Z. You can also get a Sun cartridge from Stephan directly (drop me a mail if you want to postal address or send e-mail to svb@cssun.tamu.edu). Sylvain -- ---------------- Sylvain Langlois "Dogmatic attachement to the supposed merits (sylvain@chorus.fr) of a particular structure hinders the search (sylvain%chorus.fr@uunet.uu.net) of an appropriate structure" (Robert Fripp)
kevin@math.lsa.umich.edu (Kevin Coombes) (09/28/89)
In article <4776@cps3xx.UUCP> smithda@cpsvax.UUCP (J. Daniel Smith) writes >In article <860@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu> verber@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu (Mark A. Verber) writes: >>It seems to be a shame that everyone has done their own dvi2ps driver >>with their own extensions, fixes, and improvements. I am trying to >>make a list of about various drivers: >Amen!!!!!!!!!!! > (list of desirable features deleted) I have begun the (probably long and tedious) process of merging together various versions of dvi2ps, beginning with the three versions (by Larry Denenberg, Peter Damron, and Jing-bai Wang) which are available by ftp from june.cs.wahsington.edu. I currently also have copies of the versions by Van Jacobson, Piet van Oostrum, and Greg Lee. When Mark Verber posts the responses to his inquiry about drivers, I will probably try to collect any other versions and merge their enhancements as well. I will be happy to make this version available WHEN IT GETS FINISHED. In the meantime, I would be very interested to hear about any other features which people want in a dvi2ps driver. If you want to send them by email, I will post a summary of responses. Kevin Coombes, University of Michigan <kevin@math.lsa.umich.edu> <Kevin_Coombes@ub.cc.umich.edu>
smithda@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu (J. Daniel Smith) (09/30/89)
In article <SPQR.89Sep28090404@hilliard.ecs.soton.ac.uk> spqr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Sebastian Rahtz) writes: >the following features were requested in a postscript driver for TeX >all but 3 and 7 are already in dvitops (not to be confused with >dvi2ps, dvitps or dvips). Since I started to use it at the start of >this year, I have seen no reason to return to the mad world of the >everchanging dvi2ps versions Since the message about dvi->ps features a few days ago, this is the third dvi->ps program I've heard about. The point of my orginal message was to get rid of all these dvi->ps translators and have just ONE dvi2ps with all the features that everybody wants. I listed a few features that I wanted off the top of my head, but it was not meant to be an exhaustive list. I can understand that people have their own favorites of dvi->ps, and I'm sure I would be very attatched to a particular version if I developed it. I think it great that so many people are willing to work on PS drivers for TeX. My suggestion is (and I don't think I'm alone in this---someone else made the orginal posting), is that these efforts be directed towards ONE SINGLE dvi->ps translator. The idea was to stimulate discussion about this---perhaps such a thing can't be done. Thanks for all the info about the various dvi->ps drivers, and I am still very interested in hearing about the different versions and their respective features. But I am more interested in seeing what can be done about having ONE dvi->ps driver. (Of course I am talking about UNIX here, but as I pointed out, I have seen 3 different dvi->ps converters for UNIX in the past few days.) I can also state that I am very thankful to all of those who have the expertise to write such programs and are willing to share them with all of us. I just wish a way could be found to have one dvi->ps programs with all the goodies that everybody ever wanted in their dvi->ps. Once again, to all the dvi->ps authors, thanks again for your fine work. Please don't take this posting in the wrong way.... A happy and thankful TeX and PS user, Dan ========================================================================= J. Daniel Smith Internet: smithda@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu Michigan State University BITNET: smithdan@msuegr People always get what they ask for; the only trouble is that they never know, until they get it, what they have asked for. - Aldous Huxley =========================================================================
spqr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Sebastian Rahtz) (09/30/89)
Since the message about dvi->ps features a few days ago, this is the third dvi->ps program I've heard about. The point of my orginal message was to get rid of all these dvi->ps translators and have just ONE dvi2ps with all the features that everybody wants. I listed a few but if there is already a program that does all you want, there is no problem left, is there? But to be serious, I think the discussion is premature, until the TUG committee for standards in drivers releases its final report; they have been brooding over features that ALL drivers should have, and when we know what that definitive list is, it won't matter how many dvi->ps drivers there are, so long as they all conform to the minimum requirements. They would eventually coalesce, because no-one would bother to write new ones. The reason why we currently have 157 dvi to PS programs (we're only running about 5 at this site on various machines, so we're not up to much) is the lack of agreement on features - we only have one TFtoPL, because there is no doubt about what it is supposed to do. -- Sebastian Rahtz S.Rahtz@uk.ac.soton.ecs (JANET) Computer Science S.Rahtz@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Bitnet) Southampton S09 5NH, UK S.Rahtz@sot-ecs.uucp (uucp)
slutz@hpdtl.HP.COM (Eric A. Slutz) (10/03/89)
I can't find tps.tar.Z on cssun.tamu.edu Anyone know where it is?