gec@cscosl.ncsu.edu (Errol Casey) (03/27/90)
Can someone explain what Ghostscript is? Has GNU Ghostscript been ported to the IBM PC? Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated. Granville Errol Casey, Jr. NCSU Computer Science Department Email Addresses: gec@cscosl.ncsu.edu gec%cscosl@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
wws@rruxc.UUCP (W W Scott) (03/28/90)
In article <1990Mar27.052412.12680@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>, gec@cscosl.ncsu.edu (Errol Casey) writes: > Can someone explain what Ghostscript is? Has GNU Ghostscript been ported > to the IBM PC? > > Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated. > > Granville Errol Casey, Jr. > NCSU Computer Science Department > Email Addresses: gec@cscosl.ncsu.edu > gec%cscosl@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu I extracted all the information I have from 3 files, so there is bound to be some redundancy. But, better to have too much information than not enough! * Ghostscript (a Postscript interpreter) . . . GNU's Who ********* Joseph Arceneaux is working on Emacs version 19. Jim Kingdon is working on GDB. Kathy Hargreaves is working on the regular-expression routines `regex.c', Karl Berry is working on Ghostscript, and both Kathy and Karl have been working on transforming character bitmaps into cubic splines, so that GNU can include high-quality typefaces. Roland McGrath and Joy Kendall spent last summer programming various GNU software. Mike Rowan has just been hired as a programmer. . . . * Preliminary Ghostscript We are distributing Ghostscript, the free GNU software that provides nearly all the facilities of a Postscript interpreter, on our beta tape. Karl Berry and Kathy Hargreaves are working on adding typefaces. Beside typefaces, Ghostscript needs these enhancements: to serve as a previewer for multi-page files; to serve other X clients by drawing on their windows; to improve both its performance and visual quality. Other suggestions for enhancements are welcome. . . . * Ghostscript and `gnuplot' Ghostscript is GNU's graphics language. It is almost fully compatible with the PostScript language. It supports X version 11. Right now, Ghostscript will accept commands in Postscript and execute them by drawing on an X window. Ghostscript also includes a C-callable graphics library (for client programs that don't want to deal with the Postscript language), and also supports IBM PCs and compatibles with EGA graphics (but please don't ask the FSF staff any questions about this; we don't use PCs and don't have time to learn anything about them). `gnuplot' is an interactive program for plotting mathematical expressions and data. Oddly enough, the program was neither done for nor named for the GNU Project---the name is a coincidence. However, we are distributing it anyway. If you can put us in contact with the author of this program, please do! . . . * Preliminary Ghostscript available. FSF staff members Kathryn Hargreaves and Karl Berry are working on finishing the missing feature of Ghostscript, together with Peter Deutsch, the original author of that program. Karl and Kathy are also working on producing free postscript font files. Right now, Ghostscript will accept commands in Postscript and execute them by drawing on an X window. It needs enhancement: * to serve as a previewer for multi-page files. * to serve other X clients by drawing on their windows. * to improve both the performance and the visual quality of the output. * more fonts. Ghostscript also includes a C-callable graphics library (for client programs that don't want to deal with the Postscript language), and also supports IBM PCs and compatibles with EGA graphics (but don't ask the FSF staff any questions about this; we don't use PCs and don't have time to learn anything about them). . . . GhostScript is the GNU project implementation of a language and graphics library with a remarkable similarity to PostScript(tm). . . . Wayne Scott -- proud owner/driver of a | I don't have to be ashamed of the car I drive, '74 Plymouth Wagon (400cu") | I'm just glad to be here, happy to be alive. 181,000+miles and counting | - End of the Line | The Traveling Willburys