karl@grebyn.COM (Karl Nyberg) (01/12/89)
[Posted for a friend who doesn't have news running yet. Responses to me
please. Thanks.]
Since I last spoke with some of you, I went ahead and bought a NEC 890 laser
printer (postscript, 3MB RAM, 35 fonts, etc). Although I hadn't figured out
exactly HOW I was going to get troff out to the printer, I figured something
would come along. Now, TWO things seem to have come along, and I'd
appreciate your comments on either or both packages.
TranScript -- Adobe TranScript is a set of filters that convert troff
output (otroff, ditroff) to PostScript for printing by any PS printer.
A couple of sites that I am familiar with have experience with Adobe
TranScript.... It seems solid and object licenses are relatively
inexpensive ($500), except that Adobe doesn't sell objects for the Sun.
So the alternatives are to buy a cpu source license ($1795) from Adobe
or an object license from Sun ($1795).
Elan -- Elan sells the ATT Documenter's Workbench II (DWB 2.0) set of
tools with drivers (filters) for PostScript and LaserJet printers.
The price is $1795 (sound familiar???), and includes:
- all the DWB II tools and documentation (600 pages),
- ditroff (more recent and better supported than Sun otroff),
- Sunwindows previewer (save printing time, paper and toner),
- bitmap support for Sun screen dumps, Tiff(?), PC Paintbrush, MacPaint
- capabilities not provided by TranScript (landscape mode, 35 online
fonts vs 14 for TranScript, support for pic).
- an hour of free phone support.
I tend to favor the Elan package (complete DWB, ditroff and previewer),
except I don't know anyone who is currently using it. The Elan folks tried
to make a big deal out of how much better ditroff was than otroff, but
seriously, how often has the regular troff crashed on you?? I've used the
regular troff for years with very few hassles -- how much better can ditroff
be? Probably the answer is that it is "device independent", which makes the
job of integrating it to printers easier for the integrators.
-- Karl --
Karl A. Nyberg karl@grebyn.com, nyberg@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu
Grebyn Corporation karl%grebyn.com@haven.umd.edu
P. O. Box 1144 {decuac,haven}!grebyn!karl
Vienna, VA 22183-1144 703-281-2194
^
Changed from 22180, effective 4/1/89, but can be used now.kjk@pbhyf.PacBell.COM (Ken Keirnan) (01/13/89)
In article <11759@grebyn.COM> karl@grebyn.com (Karl Nyberg) writes: > [ stuff deleted ] >TranScript -- Adobe TranScript is a set of filters that convert troff [ stuff about TranScript ] >Elan -- Elan sells the ATT Documenter's Workbench II (DWB 2.0) set of [ stuff about Elan ] Go for the Elan product. It is an excellent package, provides you with an enhanced and debugged version of DWB 2.0 (you *really* don't want to use "otroff" - trust me), and has support for PostScript and the HP Laserjet. Documentation is excellent and support is first class. I don't work for Elan, but have used their product and wish I owned stock in the company. -- Ken Keirnan - Pacific Bell - {att,bellcore,sun,ames,pyramid}!pacbell!pbhyf!kjk San Ramon, California kjk@pbhyf.PacBell.COM
kg@elan.UUCP (Ken Greer) (01/13/89)
From article <11759@grebyn.COM>, by karl@grebyn.COM (Karl Nyberg): > I tend to favor the Elan package (complete DWB, ditroff and previewer), > except I don't know anyone who is currently using it. The Elan folks tried > to make a big deal out of how much better ditroff was than otroff, but > seriously, how often has the regular troff crashed on you?? Otroff rarely core dumps, but it is super buggy. But that's not the biggest issue. The biggest deal is that otroff has the C/A/T conception of fonts: 1. You can have 4 fonts at a time with otroff You can have 50 fonts at a time with Eroff 2. Font spacing is awful (yuk, pooh!) with otroff. Font spacing is beautiful (aka professional) with Eroff 3. Eroff's troff has kerning. Otroff doesn't. 4. Eroff has a number of commands that make life simpler than otroff's. For example, I/O redirection: .tm something > file .tm something >> file A nice enhancement Elan has added. Better than the old way of redirecting stderr. Ken Greer elan!kg