TeXhax@cs.washington.edu (TeXhax Digest) (05/06/89)
TeXhax Digest Wednesday, April 5, 1989 Volume 89 : Issue 33
Moderators: Tiina Modisett and Pierre MacKay
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Today's Topics:
Announcing DVItoLN03 V3.0
VMS Systems --- Spell checking and Language-sensitive Editing
Re: Text Processing for the 1990s
Needed: "WEB for C"
RE: Spidery WEB
MakeIndex for the Macintosh
Texhax 21, note from Munson re Adobe Illustrator
Re: My posting in TeXhax 21 re: Adobe Illustrator
Re: Nested conditionals
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 4 APR 89 19:22:48 BST
From: TEX%rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK
Subject: Announcing DVItoLN03 V3.0
Keywords: dviware
Back in 1986, I developed my own DVI driver for the DEC LN03 printer, and
it has been in use here at the RMCS ever since. About a year ago I released
it to the UK TeX community, and I know that it is becoming quite widely used.
Ted Nieland, who maintains the DECUS TeX collection, also had a copy of an
earlier version towards the end of last year, but he is unable to provide an
FTP service for it.
The time has come, I think, for it to be released upon an unsuspecting
Stateside public, so this is to announce the availability of the latest
release, and a plea for any site over that that is prepared to provide access
to it for anonymous FTP to get in touch --- the whole lot, including WEB
sources and a userguide (which has also been fully processed so that it can
just be copied to an LN03 to get installers started) occupies 1320 blocks; I
would however, send it as a VMS_SHARE set, to avoid mailer congestion.
Do I have any takers? I attach herewith part of the AAAREADME.TXT file
describing DVItoLN03 V3.0
DVItoLN03 Version 3.0 21st March 1989
========= =========== ===============
This directory contains the following files:
AAAREADME.TXT - the file you are reading
DVILN03.HLP - on-line (DCL) help for DVItoLN03
*DVILN03.LN3 - file ready to be COPYed to your LN03
*DVILN03.TEX - the RMCS ``local guide'' for DVItoLN03
DVITOLN03.CH - a change file for DVItoLN03, currently empty!
DVITOLN03.CLD - VMS command language definition for the DVIL command
DVITOLN03.WEB - the WEB source of DVItoLN03
LOCAL.MF - our local parameters for METAFONTing for LN03
*LOCAL_GUIDES.BIB - a BibTeX database used by RMCS --- needs BibTeX V0.99c
*GRAPHICS.STY - a local LaTeX style file for graphics inserts
*OPENCLOSE.SIX - a Sixel dump of the screen of a terminal, scaled 2:1
*OPENCLOSE.SMALL - the same dump, but scaled 1:1
All the starred files are only concerned with producing the local guide, and
may need local modification.
DVILN03.HLP is a standard (DCL) help file, for inclusion in SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.HLB
or your local specialized help library.
LOCAL.MF contains the parameters for METAFONT suited to the Ricoh 4080 engine
(used by the LN03). These values were taken from Vol8 #3 of TUGboat. You may
find this useful if you need to generate the fonts from scratch.
You may care to produce a copy of our local guide by simply COPYing the file
DVILN03.LN3 to YOUR LN03. Please note that this file includes LOTS of eight-
bit characters, so you may need to fetch it again in binary mode if your JANET
connection has stripped off the 8th bit. If your LN03 is set up as a printer
queue (as the local guide recommends), the safest bet is to PRINT it /PASSALL
until you've found out how to set up the queue; one important caveat is that
the terminal line MUST be set up /NOWRAP (see the local guide).
However, the real meat is in DVITOLN03.WEB; this is a WEB version of a
DVI-to... driver for the DEC LN03/LN03-Plus laser printers. This
program has now been revised to V3.0 and is capable or reading EITHER
packed or expanded raster files (standard TeXware ones, not Rose's
.FNT format variant thereof). Packed (.nnnPK) files are used in
preference to .PXL files, and are sought in directory given by the
/PK_FONT_DIRECTORY qualifier; the .CLD file provided specifies this as
TEX$PK:. PXL files are sought in the directory given by the
/PXL_FONT_DIRECTORY qualifier, and, at RMCS, are kept in separate
subdirectories of TEX$PXL_ROOT:, which is a concealed device and
specified as the value for this qualifier. Details are given in the
user guide, including rearranging the allocation of font files to
different directory structures.
This implementation of DVItoLN03 has the following advantages over
certain other DVItoLN03 programs:
i) It IS written in WEB, as opposed to C and other such kludgy languages
ii) It downloads to the LN03's font memory the rasters for only those
characters actually used in the document. As such, it does not run out
of font memory just because you've used a few characters from each of a
large number of different fonts
iii) It HAS a capacity for SIMPLE graphics inclusions. These have to be in a
format the LN03 understands (DEC sixels), and are copied verbatim into
the output file generated.
iv) It works with landscape and portrait orientations
v) It makes use of the ``proper'' VAX/VMS DCL interface for commands
vi) It CAN print glyphs whose rasters are too large to be downloaded to the
LN03 in a font file (by performing a sixel graphics dump of the bitmap);
obviously this slows things down considerably!
vii) It CAN handle the invisible fonts used by SliTeX; each such character is
actually downloaded as a one-row high glyph of white pixels (of the
appropriate width)
viii) The packed and unpacked font files may be provided in either a flat or a
rooted directory structure; if logical names are used to specify these
locations (as in the .CLD file provided), the files may be spread over a
number of different directories or volumes.
ix) The error messages are improved over earlier versions of the program, and
are now all indexed in the woven (WEAVEd?) WEB.
x) The program can now handle fonts with more then 128 characters, up to
TeX's limit of 256. Therefore, it can now process documents which use
Silvio Levy's Greek fonts.
xi) Retention of the log (.TYP) file may now be forced, suppressed,
or allowed
to be determined by the success of the processing.
xii) Minor revisions and corrections have been made, in particular, it now
correctly understands the physical limitations to the imaging area.
The program makes a number of assumptions:
i) The .TFM files will be found in the directory to which the VMS logical
name TEX$FONTS points; just where TeX expects to find them!
ii) The LN03 has sufficient font memory --- for most meaningful documents
you will need at least one RAM cartidge (part number LN03X-CR); the
program WILL work with just the RAM in the basic printer, but you will
probably have to restrict yourself to printing documents 3--4 pages at a
time: very messy!
Everything else is explained, I hope, in the local guide. As supplied,
DVILN03.TEX does not utilize any of the special facilities provided by
DVItoLN03, so it may be LaTeX'ed and DVI...'ed by any existing driver. After
you've read the guide, and configured your system to support DVItoLN03, a full
version of the guide may be printed by changing the first line of DVILN03.TEX to
read:
\let\iffulldoc=\iftrue %%% Change to \iftrue when DVItoLN03 is working
instead of:
\let\iffulldoc=\iffalse %%% Change to \iftrue when DVItoLN03 is working
Before doing so, you will need to move LOCAL_GUIDES.BIB and OPENCLOSE.* to a
directory pointed to by the logical name TEX$BIB, or define the latter to point
to the current directory. This should produce a version of the guide identical
to that distributed in .LN3 form, except that it will not include RMCS's shield
on the title page.
For those without any existing driver, the .LN3 file of OUR guide is also
included; details above.
The guide may be edited to suit YOUR site; I have attempted to flag
all site-specific details in DVILN03.TEX with the string SYSDEP, on,
or near to, the relevant line(s).
Known deficiencies:
None (I hope).
Possible future work:
Suggestions???
Brian HAMILTON KELLY
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 APR 89 14:37:21 BST
From: TEX%rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK
Subject: VMS Systems --- Spell checking and Language-sensitive Editing
Keywords: VMS, spell checker
In TeXhax V89 #21 (dated 17th March, but only today, 5th April, received
in UK), Sankara Rao requests:
i) A spell checker for VMS.
I have already replied off-line to two other enquirers regarding this, and
have seen other enquiries/replies in TeXhax. We make extensive use of a SPELL
program available from the DECUS collection. This understands (from the
filetype) that it should ignore (La)TeX commands. It can do a similar job with
DSR (runoff) and Scribe sources. The only problem is that is doesn't seem to
understand plurals, so one is for ever adding them to the dictionary.
ii) A .TPU ``program'' which understands LaTeX or TeX.
Since he's from an educational institute, I presume it would not cost him an
arm and a leg to buy DEC's LSE (Language-Sensitive Editor). There is
availabale through AMS an LSE template for LaTeX for use with this LSE, but
we here at RMCS have developed this so far away from the original that we
have almost reached the stage of being able to say that it's all original
work, and therefore would be prepared (soon --- watch this space) to put our
version into the public domain. My colleague Niel Kempson has already put
into the PD an LSE template for use with BibTeX which certainly simplifies
the creation of .BIB files.
Will let you all know when the PD version of the LaTeX LSE templates are
ready...
Brian HAMILTON KELLY
| JANET: tex@uk.ac.cranfield.rmcs |
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| College of Science, Shrivenham, SWINDON SN6 8LA, U.K. |
| Phone: Swindon (0793) 785252 (UK), +44-793-785252 (International) |
P.S. BITNET Users: Please note that our site has had difficulty in
receiving mail directly from the UK BITNET gateway. If you
suspect that your messages aren't getting through, you could
try: tex%rmcs%uk.ac.cranfield.cdvc@ac.uk
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 89 02:35 +1000
From: Douglas Miller <munnari!csv.viccol.edu.au!DOUGCC@uunet.UU.NET>
Subject: Re: Text Processing for the 1990s
Keywords: TeX
Paul Davis writes of some "fundamental difficulties" with TeX:
> TeX deals in empty rectangular boxes ... and knows nothing of their contents.
> This has important consequences for the inclusion of figures, and doing many
> of the tricks currently handled with ease by Mac-based DTP systems.
What are these consequences and tricks (and why can only Mac-based systems
perform them)?
> No optimisation of pagination.
None?! I assume you mean lack of global optimisation as happens with
paragraphs. Do you (or other readers) have information or opinions about
the improvement in pagination performance that could result from this?
> The confused and confusing notion of one language being used for macro
> definition (as in text replacement), and for building style files.
The best place for macro definitions is IN the LaTeX style file, not the
document. You are talking about LaTeX here are you? Everywhere else you
mention only TeX ... confused and confusing indeed.
> Im my opinion, only a complete rewrite of TeX, that takes its algorithms
> ..., and moves on towards assimilating the lessons Don Knuth might have
> learnt had DTP been in existence when he began work on TeX, will meet the
> requirements of the 1990's.
No, in his wisdom Don Knuth could FORSEE the lesson to be learned from "DTP"
--- avoid at all costs! "DTP" --- never before has such a wrong-headed
productivity decreasing idea been over-sold so much to a gullible computer
public. The new creed of WYSIWYG is now worshipped by an army of devotees
who uncritically submit to the forced labour of manual formatting. The few
small voices of reason saying "What You See Is All You've Got", "structual
writing" and "automated formatting" are lost beneath a sea of documents
laboriously badly formatted by their authors and typeset poor or mediocre by
their "DTP" software.
What is next in this devolution of text processing, that started with the
inappropriately named "Word Processing" and has now moved on to the
ridiculously named "Desk Top Publishing"? I predict "Office Illuminated
Manuscript". "OIM" will be based on a simplified version of the original
MacPaint utility; in fact the only tool provided will be "fatbits". Think of
the advantages: "easiest to learn system yet", "fully WYSIWYG", "total control
of parchment layout to the pixel level".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5-APR-1989 15:21 GMT + 1:00
From: "Walter Speth, Bonn " <SPETH%DBNPIB5.BITNET@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Needed: "WEB for C"
Keywords: WB, C
From Issue 21(89) of TeXhax i understand, that there exists a WEB that
produces C-Sources from Webster-Files (?WEB2C?). Using that program it
should be possible to gererate METAFONT or TEX-sources to be compiled
by a C-Compiler, right? If so, can anybody tell me, whether I can obtain
that program from public domain/shareware via BITNET or even send a copy
(.ARCed and/or UUEncoded would be fine)?
I can only manage to access network nodes by mail or message, not interactively
- so not by FTP -.
Thanks for any kind of reply,
Walter SPETH@DBNPIB5
P.S. 21(89) was the first issue of TeXhax I got to read, so I do not know
anything discussed earlier on that topic...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 APR 89 14:45:06 BST
From: TEX%rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK
Subject: RE: Spidery WEB
Keywords: WEB
In TeXhax V89 #21, Norman Ramsey reports upon his Spidery WEB, which
certainly sounds great! I note, however, that it's implemented for U**x
systems --- does anyone out there fancy porting it onto an {\em operating
system\/}? (Specifically, I'd like to use something like this for Ada [and
Fortran, although I note Norman's caveat regarding lexis] on a VAX/VMS
system.)
Brian HAMILTON KELLY
.-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| JANET: tex@uk.ac.cranfield.rmcs |
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| Phone: Swindon (0793) 785252 (UK), +44-793-785252 (International) |
`-------------------------------------------------------------------------'
P.S. BITNET Users: Please note that our site has had difficulty in
receiving mail directly from the UK BITNET gateway. If you
suspect that your messages aren't getting through, you could
try: tex%rmcs%uk.ac.cranfield.cdvc@ac.uk
P.P.S. To quote Phil Taylor, ``I hate Wimps and Eunuchs''.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 89 06:59:13 PDT
From: MINER%UTA.MFENET@CCC.MFECC.LLNL.GOV
Subject: MakeIndex for the Macintosh
Keywords: MakeTndex, Macintosh
Has anyone ported MakeIndex to the Macintosh?
Thanks,
Buff Miner
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 89 15:18-0500
From: <MCGUINES%FORDMURH.BITNET@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Texhax 21, note from Munson re Adobe Illustrator
Keywords: Mac, Adobe Illustrator, TeXTures
In TeXhax 21, Ethan Munson says (about Adobe Illustrator): (paragraph 3)
>> IT IS NOT POSSIBLE to view the end result and
>> manipulate the figure simultaneously.
This is INCORRECT. The Adobe manual very clearly explains, and I use this
feature all the time, how to open two windows on your screen, and have one
window show the ``end result'', and have the other show the ``figure''.
Furthermore, ANY changes made in the figure are AUTOMATICALLY (sorry for
the caps, but I caught the disease!) and instantaneously (at least on a
Mac II, for figures that aren't too complex) shown in the other window.
Those people lucky enough to equip their MacII with two monitors can even
put one window on each monitor---say the figure on a monochrome monitor,
and the ``end result'' on a color monitor.
I should note also (I don't think anyone has mentioned this recently)
that TeXTures has a nice feature to incorporate Adobe output (and preview
it also if you choose the right option when saving your Adobe file) into
TeX output, using a \special{illustration AdobeFileName} macro.
Oisin McGuinness
Math Dept
Fordham University
Bronx NY 10458
bitnet%"mcguiness@fordmurh"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 89 12:46:20 -0700
From: munson@renoir.Berkeley.EDU (Ethan V. Munson)
Subject: Re: My posting in TeXhax 21 re: Adobe Illustrator
Keywords: Adobe Illustrator
Well, now I know why I don't want to do software reviews for a living.
In my note that appeared in TeXhax V89 n21 I incorrectly stated that you
can view the final output while editing an illustration in Adobe
Illustrator '88. You can do so by using a separate window which views
the document in preview mode. As each change is made to the paths and
their parameters in the editing window, the preview window is updated.
In general, this occurs quickly, though it can take a while for large
figures. Thus, provided you have enough screen space, you can edit a
figure and see its final form (lack of screen space can be compensated
for by zooming). Preview windows do not scroll automatically when you
scroll another window examining the object.
I still think that it is important to warn potential users that
Illustrator is not a direct manipulation drawing program. It is a very
powerful drawing tool, but it has a certain quality of indirectness that
can surprise a first-time user.
Ethan Munson
munson@renoir.Berkeley.EDU
...!ucbvax!renoir!munson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 89 19:40 EDT
From: "Jerry Leichter (LEICHTER-JERRY@CS.YALE.EDU)"
Subject: Re: Nested conditionals
Keywords: nested conditionals
Stephan v. Bechtolsheim wants to use a macro which might evaluate to either
\iftrue or \iffalse. But this fails if the macro is nested inside another
conditional which is false, since then TeX gets the nesting wrong.
First off, there is no such thing in TeX as "evaluation". The word Mr. Bech-
tolsheim wants to use is "expansion". The distinction is important, since
what is involved here is exactly the order in which TeX does things, and
exactly WHAT it does in various situations. TeX "evaluates", in some vague
sense, the stuff being skipped due to a failed condition; but it doesn't
*expand* it. There is a very good reason for this: Expansion can have
side-effects. For example, expanding a \input command causes a new input
file to be opened. It would be rather surprising if:
\iffalse \input foo \fi
were to open file foo!
A discussion of what is expanded and when appears in the TeX book on pages
212ff; conditionals, in particular, are detailed at the top of 213.
What drives TeX's matching of conditionals is the MEANING of tokens, not
(directly) what they EXPAND to. The MEANING of a macro is "a macro which
expands as follows...." This has no significance to the conditional matcher.
The only things that DO have significance are the initial meanings of the the
various \ifxxx's, \else, \or and \fi. \let can assign one of these meanings
to some new control word; \def cannot.
Mr. Bechtolsheim is in good company: The exact problem which he is running
into trapped Don Knuth as well! It is discussed at the top of page 211 of
the TeXbook, and it was exactly because what Mr. Bechtolsheim wants to do
could not be done that \iftrue and \iffalse were invented.
-- Jerry
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