TeXhax@Score.Stanford.EDU (TeXhax Digest) (10/26/88)
TeXhax Digest Tuesday, October 25, 1988 Volume 88 : Issue 95
Moderator: Malcolm Brown
Today's Topics:
re: .mf files (or perhaps .pk, .tfm)
re: ipa phonetic font
re: extending tex's alphabet from 128 to 256 characters
Re: Maple to TeX conversion...
UnixTeX bad files.
Re: macros for poems? (TeXhax V88 #89)
Where's the hidden space?
TeX for journals
PrettyPrinting C using LaTeX
Salvaging PXL fonts
Cryptic names
BiBTeX for IBM PC (TeXhax92.88)
TeX File depository
Retaining font style when changing size
PXtoPK or PXtoGF change file for VAX/VMS wanted.
Is there a tpic based on dwb 2.0 pic ?
11pt fonts query
MF parameters for LN03
Access to various TeX-related files at Yale
refer -> BiBTeX conversion
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed 19 Oct 88 04:33:25-EDT
From: b beeton <BNB@SEED.AMS.COM>
Subject: re: .mf files (or perhaps .pk, .tfm)
ah, the question of more fonts for tex!
unfortunately, i know of no great repository of .mf files, or even of
raster versions available for many different output devices. (i am
ignoring the fact that postscript devices use a common fount of fonts.
sorry.) do you have any idea how long it takes to create a competent
font, much less family of fonts, with metafont or any other tool? not
many people have either the skill or the time to devote to such development
for the public domain, and, sad to say, metafont has not really been
grabbed up eagerly by professional font designers, who (in any case) would
probably not release their .mf sources.
so, what are the alternatives?
font companies, like bitstream, are releasing fonts suitable for use on
laser printers and typesetters. it is possible to make these usable by
tex, and personal tex (pti) has done that for a package of bitstream fonts.
although pti's main market is pc users, i can't see any reason why the fonts
shouldn't also be usable on mainframes, provided you're using compatible
output devices.
it's also possible (though not particularly easy, both technically and
politically) to drag an agreement out of a company like autologic to make
available low-resolution data so that fonts compatible to the high-res
typesetter versions can be constructed and installed for laser printer
use. the low-res quality versions are {\sl not}, in my opinion, suitable
for anything but proofreading, and there may also be agreed-on restrictions
between the supplier and purchaser that they are "for internal use only".
it is also quite time-consuming and tedious to make fonts not constructed
for use by tex usable in tex's math mode, at least if you want any sort of
decent quality (which is precisely what one has every right to expect from
tex -- but so much depends on the availability of proper font metrics!).
the math society has done what is needed to enable autologic's times fonts
to be used as the default for their journals; all papers received since
sometime earlier this year will be published using times fonts, not
computer modern.
but i'd like to point out that fonts of this sort (autologic's, i don't
know about bitstream's) simply change in size by what is essentially the
electronic equivalent of optical magnification. this is not the traditional
type-founder's approach, nor that of metafont as knuth envisioned it.
(although it is possible to create fonts with metafont that aren't truly
"meta", and which also change size in an essentially linear fashion -- the
euler fonts were constructed that way, sad to say.) perhaps it takes a
lot of exposure to high-quality composition and printing to be able to
recognize the difference between the two approaches, or to be able to make
an educated judgment about their relative strengths and weaknesses. i feel
that many users of the new technologies will ultimately become dissatisfied
with the quality of output available and demand better as they become more
knowledgeable. and since tex itself already supports a higher level of
precision (quality being a somewhat subjective term), i suspect that tex
users will become dissatisfied sooner than users of most other systems.
end of polemic.
i don't know what can be done to improve the situation.
regarding making typesetter fonts available to tex, in the past i've
suggested that purchasers of typesetting equipment write such requirements
into their purchase agreements -- after you've paid for the equipment, the
supplier hasn't much incentive to do a lot of work that (it is perceived)
may not pay off. remember that "available to tex" implies fully-compatible
fonts across the whole range of device types and resolutions.
encourage independent font suppliers (also most effectively approached by
paying customers) to stop ignoring the tex market.
unfortunately, in this area, money talks. while in the past, tex has been
adopted most rapidly by academic and research users, it is beginning to
make its way in the commercial publishing world, albeit for some quite
specialized uses, and for some surprising reasons. i hope this will help
create the financial leverage needed to improve the font situation.
-- barbara beeton
------------------------------
Date: Wed 19 Oct 88 04:46:19-EDT
From: b beeton <BNB@SEED.AMS.COM>
Subject: re: ipa phonetic font
dominik wujastyk, in his article in tugboat 9#2, mentioned several sources
for ipa fonts. if you do not have access to tugboat (a publication of the
tex users group), a version of dominik's article is available by ftp from
score ( <tex.texhax>wujastyk.txt ), and a copy is also in the aston archive.
-- barbara beeton
------------------------------
Date: Wed 19 Oct 88 04:56:59-EDT
From: b beeton <BNB@SEED.AMS.COM>
Subject: re: extending tex's alphabet from 128 to 256 characters
tex already handles 256-character fonts, with some limitations, notably
in the way lccodes are handled. a 256-character greek text font already
exists; it was created by silvio levy at princeton university, and described
in articles in tugboat 9#1 and the proceedings of the tex users group 1987
annual meeting. (both publications can be obtained from the tex users group.)
there are others in greece already using tex, and they may be able to help
you. there is an active group at the institute of computer science, research
center of crete; stelios sartzetakis is one member of this group.
-- barbara beeton
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 88 08:58:46 EDT
From: gae@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu (Gerald Edgar)
Subject: Re: Maple to TeX conversion...
This capability exists in Maple, version 4.2. It is called 'latex', but
I see nothing that would differentiate the output from plain TeX.
Gerald A. Edgar TS1871@OHSTVMA.bitnet
Department of Mathematics gae@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu
The Ohio State University gae@osupyr.UUCP
Columbus, OH 43210 70715,1324 CompuServe
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 88 11:28:54 PDT
From: mackay@june.cs.washington.edu (Pierre MacKay)
Subject: UnixTeX bad files.
The latest UnixTeX distribution, set up at the end of september,
was clobbered by a run of tar x, which corrupted files in
./tex82/web2cdir.
The files are
./tex82/web2cdir/regfix.c
./tex82/web2cdir/splitup.c
./tex82/web2cdir/web2c.yacc
web2c.yacc is truncated, and regfix.c contains the magic header that
ought to have unwrapped splitup.c. It wasn't FTP that did the damage,
nor was it the uncompress operation. It was tar, which is disturbing.
For lucky FTP sites, I am leaving a copy of web2c_base.tar.Z on
the ~ftp/pub directory at june.cs.washington.edu.
We will send out hardcopy of the sources to all recipients of the
new tapes as a last resort, but since the files are not horrendously
long, we will also answer any mail requests for corrected copies
of these programs.
If you think you have received a bad tape, please send a very
short request for the corrected programs, and I will try to
answer as soon as I receive it.
Our apologies for the inconvenience.
Email: mackay@june.cs.washington.edu Pierre A. MacKay
Smail: Northwest Computer Support Center TUG Site Coordinator for
Lewis Hall, Mail Stop DW10 Unix-flavored TeX
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
(206) 543-6259
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 88 16:13:59 EDT
From: Philippa Matheson <AMPHORAS%vm.epas.utoronto.ca@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Re: macros for poems? (TeXhax V88 #89)
I wrote a simple \verse ... \endverse macro which may be the kind Daniel
Smith is looking for---it works by setting \leftskip to the appropriate
width so that the poem will be centered on the longest line, rather than
using \halign. \longline must be given after \verse so that \leftskip is
restored to its original value at the end of the group (after \endverse).
-----------------
\newdimen\parind \let\parind=\parindent% Save value of \parindent.
\def\longline#1{\parindent0pt\setbox0=\hbox{#1}% Set margin for
\leftskip\hsize \advance\leftskip by -\wd0% offset text by
\divide\leftskip by2}% width of given line.
\def\verse{\par\medskip\begingroup% Verse with 6pt drop
\obeylines\parindent0pt}% before and after it.
\def\endverse{\endgroup\parindent\parind\par\medskip}%
%% The example given would then be entered as:
\centerline{A Title that is longer (or shorter) than the text}
\verse\longline{End with line six.}
Line one,
This is line two,
And line three.
\hfil
Line four
Here is line five,
End with line six.
\endverse
----------------
-- Philippa MW Matheson amphoras@vm.epas.utoronto.ca
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 88 14:16:12 PDT
From: Darrell Long <darrell@midgard.ucsc.edu>
Subject: Where's the hidden space?
First of all, thanks to all the TeXHAX that helped with my previous request.
I found my problem to be end-of-lines being interpreted as spaces.
In the following, there appears to be a hidden space in front of the "D".
\eight is cmr8. Instead of going to 13.5 cm, it puts the "D" at 13.6.
\hbox to 18 true cm{\hskip 13.5 true cm{\eight Darrell D.E. Long}\hfil}
Thanks for your help.
DL
------------------------------
Date: WED OCT 19, 1988 20.55.46
From: INHB%MCGILLC.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU
Subject: TeX for journals
I have found the discussion of using TeX for journals extremely
interesting and I hope it continues. I am involved in the eventual
conversion of the two journals published by the Canadian Math Soc to
TeX. We are planning to accept papers submitted in TeX, imposing our
own style files and to retype in TeX papers that don't. We (or some of
us, including me) are hoping to be able to remit page charges for
authors who provide TeXscripts.
Although the discussion began with the observation that it can get
extremely ugly if some papers are in TeX and others not, this is not
what we have in mind. TeX will be used in the production of every
paper; it is just that some will be done by the author and others by
paid production staff.
The questions I would like to see addressed (or hear from anyone who has
handled them) include, but are not limited to:
1. Is it necessary or desirable to standardize on one version of TeX
(e.g. LaTeX or AMSTeX) or can you handle more than one. The Amer. Math.
Soc. will accept only AMSTeX, but I don't know if that is just a
mainfestation of the NIH syndrome or there is some reason for it. (Two
friends are having a long monograph published by the AMS. It contains
many diagrams that AMSTeX cannot handle and the AMS is printing the main
text in AMSTeX, the diagrams in LaTeX and merging them by the
time-honored scissors and glue.)
2. How much freedom can you leave to authors to make up their own
macros?
3. Can you get by with a TeX consultant or is it necessary to have a
full-time in-house TeXnician?
4. Has anyone prepared a guide for authors?
5. Is there any other advice?
From: Michael Barr
inhb@mcgillc.bitnet
New address: inhb@musicc.mcgill.ca
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 88 18:00:32 PDT
From: pgarg%pollux.usc.edu@oberon.usc.edu (Pankaj K. Garg)
Subject: PrettyPrinting C using LaTeX
I know this has been discussed before within this group, but does
someone have a program to convert my C program into something which
LaTeX will pretty print?
Thanx in advance...
...pankaj
US Mail: Computer Science Department E-mail: garg@cse.usc.edu
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0782 Phone: (213)743-7995
------------------------------
Subject: Salvaging PXL fonts
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 88 18:34:01 PDT
From: vahe@pic.ucla.edu
I'm trying to salvage some old PXL fonts I have, and I'm not having much
success. Essentially, I don't have the MF sources for them. I want to
print them on a LaserWriter, and the DVI to PostScript converter doesn't
understand PXL files. (Actually it does, but you have to use either all
PXL or all GF files by setting a pre-processor identifier.)
Of course, one way is to turn everything into PK, then ditch "dvi2ps" in
favor of "dvips"; but that's a massive job that I really don't want to
undertake except as an absolute last resort. If anyone can provide some
assistance in either of the following two directions, I'd appreciate it.
First, is there a utility to convert PXL files to GF? I haven't found one
in any of score.stanford.edu, labrea.stanford.edu, or june.cs.washington.edu.
I tried going the roundabout way of converting PXL to PK, then PK to GF, but
"dvi2ps" doesn't like the GF file that's produced. That's not surprising,
since I don't have a Unix change file for pktogf.web.... So if anyone has
a change file, or knows of a utility that will go PXL to GF in one step,
I'd love to know about it.
Alternatively, is there a DVI to PostScript program that can read both
PXL and GF? The "dvi2ps" program (in various versions scattered around
the Internet...) can read one or the other, depending on how it's compiled,
but not both. It looks like it can be modified to use either one, but
I'm not enough of a font hacker (or PostScript hacker) to tell.
Any info, pointers, programs, etc., welcome. If there's enough interest,
I'll post any results to TeXhax. Thanks much.
Vahe Sarkissian, UCLA Math. Sci. Dept. vahe@math.ucla.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 12:30:35 NZT
From: CCC032U@aucc1
Subject: Cryptic names
As a relative newcomer to the TeX world I am often baffled by the host of
ancillary programs alot of which have very cryptic names. Things in the
TeX distribution such as GFTOPL are no problem but once one moves further
out then it is almost impossible to get a foot hold. For example what is
tgrind? I have seen several references to it in texhax this year but no
explaination of what it does.
My request is that when people refer to programs or packages that are not
part of the standard TeX distribution that they include a `one line'
description of the item. This should make it alot easier for people like
me who are starting out.
While on the topic -- has anybody attempted, or even better succeeded, in
compiling a directory of such ancillary software?
Russell Fulton
Internet: ccc032u@aucc1.aukuni.ac.nz
Postal: Computer Centre
University of Auckland
Private Bag
Auckland, New Zealand
'Phone: +64 9 737-999 x 8955 ( GMT +12 )
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 02:53:28 EDT
From: jonradel%icecream.Princeton.EDU@Princeton.EDU (Jon Radel)
Subject: BiBTeX for IBM PC (TeXhax92.88)
So far as I've seen, the only BiBTeXs running on PCs are the ones
that come with commercial packages from Personal TeX, Arbortext, et.
al. If anyone can prove me wrong, please let us all know.
--Jon Radel
jonradel@icecream.princeton.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 02:59:17 EDT
From: Michael DeCorte <mrd@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>
Subject: TeX File depository
Hello,
I made an error in a the instructions on how to request files from the
Clarkson archive server. I said that you should mail
archiver-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu, it should be sent to
archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu. I am very sorry for any problems
this has caused anyone. I have fixed the documentation.
Also, in addition to the latex-style directory, I am now keeping all
of the back issues of texhax, texmag and uktex. For information on how
to retrieve them, send to archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu
a mail message with the body of the message containing
index texhax
or instead of texhax you can use texmag, or uktex. If you don't
specify a collection and only have index, you will get a list of all
the collections.
Please put a path command in your mail message if your address is at
all unusual. eg.
path user%oddhost@interneted.host.edu
You can of course use anonymous ftp to sun.soe.clarkson.edu if you
on the internet.
Michael DeCorte // (315)268-2292 // P.O. Box 652, Potsdam, NY 13676
Internet mrd@sun.soe.clarkson.edu // Bitnet mrd@clutx.bitnet
Clarkson Archiver Server
archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu
archive-server%sun.soe.clarkson.edu@omnigate.bitnet
dumb1!dumb2!dumb3!smart!sun.soe.clarkson.edu!archive-server
------------------------------
From: Clark Adrian <alien%ESE.ESSEX.AC.UK@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 12:09:26 GMT
Subject: Retaining font style when changing size
I'm writing some LaTeX macros which need to change the font size. But
I want to retain the font style (roman, italic, etc) after the size
change. So if, for example, I say
,\it normal words and \smalltext\/-
with
\def\smalltext,\small some small words-
I want _everything_ in the braces italicised (LaTeX changes the font
to \rm in \small). Is there some way I can detect the current font
style (based on its family, perhaps) and modify \small to re-select
the appropriate style?
The only other way would seem to be to modify \rm, \it and so on to
record its invocation in (say) \currentfont, then invoke that at the
end of \small. But that seems a bit of a kludge and would involve
quite a lot of style-file hacking. (A plain TeX solution to the
general problem would be quite satisfactory, too.)
Adrian F. Clark
JANET: alien@uk.ac.essex.ese
ARPA: alien%uk.ac.essex.ese@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk
BITNET: alien%uk.ac.essex.ese@ac.uk
Smail: Dept. of Electronic Systems Engineering, Essex University,
Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex C04 3SQ, U. K.
Phone: (+44) 206-872432 (direct)
------------------------------
From: hoshino%tkov04.DEC@decwrl.dec.com (Takeshi Hoshino)
Date: 20 Oct 88 20:27
Subject: PXtoPK or PXtoGF change file for VAX/VMS wanted.
Does anyone have PXtoPK change files for VAX/VMS?
Now I have only bitmap raster data files for JAPANESE, and
converted them to PXL format files. but the all disk usage for
their fonts is too large.
They must be converted to PK format files. Does anyone help me.
Thanks in advance,
Takeshi Hoshino
DEC japan Educational services
Internet: hoshino%tkov04.dec@decwrl.dec.com
UUCP: {allegra,decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!tkov04.dec.com!hoshino
------------------------------
Subject: Is there a tpic based on dwb 2.0 pic ?
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 09:24:36 EST
From: ramsey@purdue.edu
I am trying to locate a version of tpic that is based on either the
dwb 2.0 or "Utility Sources" version of pic. I have the latest
version of tpic from ics pub, and will do the conversion myself if
necessary, but I am hoping the work has already been done.
Thanks.
-Ed Ramsey Purdue University Computer Science Department
ramsey@cs.purdue.edu ...!purdue!ramsey
------------------------------
Subject: 11pt fonts query
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 15:03:49 -0400
From: Ken Yap <ken@cs.rochester.edu>
Why were the 11 pt fonts defined to be 10 pt fonts at magstephalf
instead of being a true 11 pt series? This makes it messy to magnify
documents with 11 pt fonts since one would have to generate 10 pt fonts
at magsteps 1.5, 2.5, etc. All other fonts here can be taken up one
magstep with the magsteps we have.
Ken
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 16:48:11 EDT
From: Gerald Baumgartner <K312140%AEARN.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: MF parameters for LN03
In previous TeXhax digests several people asked for a good mode_def for
the DEC LN03 printer. I tried several mode_defs I found in old TeXhax
digests. In case someone is still interested, here are my experiences:
- LNOthree mode by John Sauter (see TeXhax V88 #07)
I am not at all satisfied with it. Small fonts (e.g. cmr5) are
still readable but the letters come out too light. Some letters like
`o' do not come out very reliably---too many pixels vanish.
- LNOone mode by John Sauter (see TeXhax V88 #07)
Small fonts are better to read than with the LNOthree mode. However,
it is too black to be pleasing to the eye. I did not try small bold-
face fonts, but they should look really ugly.
- declniii mode by Charles LaBrec (see TeXhax V88 #26)
This mode_def comes with some adjustments for write-white engines.
The results are very good but some characters are distorted, e.g. `e',
`E' and `F' in cmr5. The serifs of some characters look too long.
- RicohFortyEighty mode by Pierre MacKay (see TeXhax V88 #27)
This mode_def comes with a lot of write-white adjustments. The results
are by far better than with any other mode_def. The differences between
this mode_def and the declniii mode_def are not very high, but the results
with the RicohFortyEighty mode are still better. The Ricoh 4080 printer
must be very similar to the LN03 printer, which is a Ricoh LP engine.
Greetings,
Gerald Baumgartner
k312140@aearn.bitnet
U. of Linz/Austria
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 88 15:25 EST
From: "Jerry Leichter (LEICHTER-JERRY@CS.YALE.EDU)"
Subject: Access to various TeX-related files at Yale
In TeXhax Digest V88 #85, Ted Nieland provides a summary of the locations of
various pieces of TeXware available by ANONYMOUS FTP. He includes information
about three packages I "stock" here at Yale: DVIDIS, TEXTYL, and TGRIND.
Unfortunately, he based his listing on a misreading of a poorly-written note
I sent to TeXhax just before going away --- see TeXhax V88 #83 --- and gets
the address wrong.
The correct address you need to use to access these packages is:
venus.ycc.yale.edu [192.26.88.4]
Mr. Nieland notes that you also need FIXREC.EXE, but doesn't explain how to
use it. Pick up a copy of FIXREC.C (from the same directory) and read the
comment at the top for directions.
Note that, while TEXTYL and TGRIND can be useful on non-VMS systems, because
of problems with Wollongong's TCP/IP implementation (described in my original
note), it isn't practical for me to provide any distribution form other than
a VMS BACKUP saveset at this time. Sorry.
Mail to me should be sent to the node Mr. Nieland listed (cs.yale.edu), since
it serves as our central mail distributor. Further, while I "stock" John
Renner's TeXtyl here, he does not have an account at Yale - you can't send him
mail here. The most recent address I have from Mr. Renner is:
<adobe!renner@decwrl.dec.com>
My apologies for the confusion caused by a too-quickly written message.
-- Jerry
------------------------------
From: Peter King <pjbk%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK>
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 88 13:18:50 BST
Subject: refer -> BiBTeX conversion
Following feedback from a number of users, in particular Johnathan
Bowen, I have modified and updated my 'ref2bib' script for conversion
of refer databases to BiBTeX format.
The files can now be extracted with a name of the user's choosing, to
avoid clashes with Johnathan Bowen's 'ref2bib', although that remains
the default.
The heuristics for assigning the type of reference have been augmented,
and a number of options are now selectable at run time, including the
length and number of authors to be used in generating keys.
Since the script is so long, it will probably be stored in the
appropriate archives, but I am happy to mail it to people who do not
have easy access to them.
Peter King, Computer Science Department JANET: pjbk@uk.ac.hw.cs
Heriot-Watt University ARPA: pjbk@cs.hw.ac.uk
79 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2HJ or pjbk%cs.hw.ac.uk@ucl-cs
Phone: (+44) 31 225 6465 Ext. 555 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!pjbk
%%% Peter's submission is fairly substantial (40K), hence it's too long
%%% for the digest. Peter submitted the original version of his script
%%% late last August. Since this version supercedes the previous one,
%%% the latest version of this script is saved under the name
%%% "<tex.texhax>king.txh" on the machine "score.stanford.edu". Anyone
%%% with FTP access to Score can transfer it. The older version is
%%% now called "<tex.texhax>kingold.txh" and will be deleted in a month.
%%% As usual, a copy of king.txh has been forwared to TEX-L for
%%% BITNET transfer. Malcolm
------------------------------
End of TeXhax Digest
**************************
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