[comp.os.vms] TeX 2.0 driver for QMS 800 on VMS

"PSI%SNMSN1::PSI%DSAVX1::JAMET@sdr.slb.COM".UUCP (06/12/87)

This is for a *SPECIALIST* in TeX driver for a QMS LASERGRAPHICS 800
on VAX VMS.

We have a laser printer QMS LASERGRAPHICS 800 in Dowell Schlumberger
Saint-Etienne. We now use the TeX version 2.0 and LaTeX 2.09. The
driver for the QMS is called DVILG8. Unfortunatly it was designed to
work with TeX 1.x. Its is not -as far as I know- a public domain
driver. Here is a piece a of the header of its code (WEB) :

  % dvilg8.WEB
  %
  %  This program is based on a generic driver written by Tomas Rokicki
  %  and all rights are reserved.  Modifications for the QMS-800 were
  %  also made by Tomas Rokicki.
  %
  % Version 0.9 initial release: December, 1984
  % Version 0.91 fixed several minor bugs, improved sections: January, 1985
  % Version 0.92 fixed mem_req calculation, graphics inclusion: February, 1985
  % Version 0.93 added hoffset and voffset input during dialog: February, 1985

I heard (I am not sure, because I do not have it) that the new 
QMS *800* driver comes with some interesting bugs : not possible to
get a page in LANDSCAPE mode. Because this feature is the one we need and cannot
have on our LN03s, I modified the old one to work with the new CM* fonts.
It works well, excepted that it does not accept the downloaded fonts. 
I recreated a file RESIDENT.fnt for the new CM* fonts I want to be resident 
with the CRERES8.EXE program. Everything works fine, but DVILG8 acts as if 
they were no resident fonts. So it is VERY slow and creates huge *.BIT files 
containning all the fonts. It does not generate any error message. On the 
other hand it does landscape very well.

I look closely at the (WEB) code and could not find where the problem could be.
Has anybody modified this driver to make it understand that it should accept
resident fonts ?

By the way, are they other good (public domain or cheap) TeX 2.0 drivers for
QMS 800 ?
Thanks.

Philippe JAMET            E-Mail:     jamet%m_dsavx1%sdr.slb.com@relay.cs.net 
                          (or may be) jamet%m_dsavx1%slb-doll.csnet@relay.cs.net
Etudes et Fabrication DOWELL-SCHLUMBERGER
Att. Philippe JAMET
Z.I. de Molina la Chazotte    B.P. 90
42003 Saint-Etienne CEDEX 1
(FRANCE) 

CP.PAVER@MCC.COM (Bob Paver) (06/14/87)

I'm not a specialist with the TeX QMS driver so this is a wild guess.

Is it possible that the file RESIDENT.FNT is not readable because of
file protections or some other reason.  DVILG8 has to read it when
it converts the DVI file to QUIC.  If it can't find it for whatever
reason, that could be causing your problem.

Good luck.  If you want, I can probably give you the names of people
at Texas A & M University where the QMS support was written.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Bob Paver	(512) 338-3316
Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. (MCC)
3500 West Balcones Center Drive
Austin, TX  78759

ARPA:  paver@mcc.com
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