[comp.text] problem with Common TeX?

denise@cwi.nl (Denise L. Draper) (01/20/88)

I don't have Pat Monardo's email address, so I'm posting this
in hope that Pat is out there somewhere, or someone else can
help...

We have Common TeX, Version 2.1, and it doesn't seem to work.
The following input is accepted by TeX Version 2.0, and 
produces correct output, but Common Tex does not accept it, 
and produces the following log file.

This is compiled on a Vax running 4.3BSD, with
CFLAGS	      = -O -DINIT -DBIG	 for initex, and
CFLAGS	      = -O -DBIG	 for virtex.

Any ideas?

input:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello, world
\bye
--------------------------------------------------------------

log file output:
--------------------------------------------------------------
This is Common TeX, Version 2.1.1 (preloaded format=plain 88.1.20) 20 JAN 1988 11:09
**foo  
(./foo.tex
Runaway definition?
->
! Forbidden control sequence found while scanning definition of \blort.
<inserted text> 
                }
<to be read again> 
                   \bye 
l.2 \bye
        
? x
No pages of output.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Denise Draper					 denise@cwi.nl
Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica	...!uunet!mcvax!denise

iau@eagle.ukc.ac.uk (I.A.Utting) (01/21/88)

Expires:

Sender:

Followup-To:


In article <400@sering.cwi.nl> denise@cwi.nl writes:
>We have Common TeX, Version 2.1, and it doesn't seem to work.
>input:
>	Hello, world
>	\bye
>log file output:
>	This is Common TeX, .....
>	**foo  
>	(./foo.tex
>	Runaway definition?
>	->
>	! Forbidden control sequence found while scanning definition of \blort.
[ etc. ]

I too have seen this. I guess that you're using the following sequence to
generate an "undump"ed version of TeX:
	% virtex
	This is Common TeX, .....
	**&plain \read 0 to \blort
	\blort=^\
Due (I suspect) to differences between the i/o characteristics of Pascal and
C, you should try:
	% virtex
	This is Common TeX, .....
	**&plain
	*\^
Where \^ is your quit character in both cases.

This has left me with a working Common TeX.
					Ian Utting.
					iau@ukc.uucp or iau@ukc.ac.uk

seindal@diku.dk (Rene' Seindal) (01/22/88)

You will have to undump Common TeX differently than Knuth's TeX.  With
Knuth's version you enter "\read 0 to \blort" (to virtex, after reading the
format file), and make it dump core with a SIGQUIT at the "\blort=" prompt.
This is not necessary with Common TeX.  Instead, just give virtex a SIGQUIT
at TeX's asterix-prompt.  It will dump core all right, and the undumped TeX
runs just fine.  

By the way.  My undumped Common TeX executables is about 2Mb, opposed to old
TeX's 860kb.  It is not a problem, but I'd rather have them a bit smaller.
Could I get them smaller by changing MIN_QUARTERWORD and MAX_QUARTERWORD.
They are currently 0 resp. 255.  It's on a VAX 785 running 4.3BSD.

Thanks

Rene' Seindal, DIKU, U. of Copenhagen. (seindal@diku.dk)