info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (05/22/85)
From: AALevy@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA My apologies if this has been asked before but what would you recommend as the best editor that has sophisticated capabilities like multiple open files. I was thinking of emacs. Next what graphics package would you recommend for really good graphics. hopefully the graphics could be compatible with the text output package. Also , what high speed printer would you recommend (laser or otherwise). Right now we are using a LN01. Oh-operating system is VMS. Thanks, allan
info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (05/22/85)
From: Kevin Carosso <engvax!KVC@cit-vax>
I don't think you can beat the combination we're running right now. Here's
what we like:
For editing we have UNIPRESS EMACS (originally Gosling's EMACS for UNIX)
which someone at DEC ported to VMS and which UNIPRESS now sells for VMS
(as well as some other operating systems). Frankly, it probably makes little
or no difference whether you use Gosling's EMACS, CCA EMACS, or the new
VMS editor TPU. All are programmable and have multi-window/multi-buffer
capabilites. TPU has the advantage that (if you don't mind waiting a little
longer till it's out) it's free. I could get along just fine in any of the
three editors I just mentioned. We just happen to have UNIPRESS since it
was first on the block. I've played with TPU a lot and read the manuals and
it has everything I need in an editor as well. Biggest disadvantage with TPU
is that it won't work on terminals other than DEC terminals. Oh well, maybe
they'll get it right someday.
For text formatting, don't bother with anything but TeX. TROFF and SCRIBE
are probably fine, but for VMS TeX is your best bet. SCRIBE is too
expensive and the only TROFFs I've seen for VMS run under someone else's
UNIX emulator. You don't need all the excess baggage just to run TROFF when
TeX is better anyway (my opinion, of course). Biggest disadvantage with
TeX is that there is no good way to preview output before you send it
at the laser printer. People with bitmap displays may be working to solve
this problem.
There is a company in San Diego called Talaris Systems who sell QMS laser
printers, full support for TeX (that means lots of fonts -- TeX is TeXnically
free, but they make money providing fonts for the laser printer), and a
graphics subroutine library for the laser printer. The graphics can be
included right into the source to your TeX documents, producing mind-blowing
illustrated documents with something Talaris calls QDRIVE.
QDRIVE is extra and a little expensive but really nice if you want to put
pictures into your documents. Biggest disadvantage of Talaris is cost.
It isn't really that expensive, and I'd still recommend it for all but the
most extreme tightwads. ($10,000 for low-end printer that you'd have to spend
anyway no matter who you bought it from. $2000 for fonts and stuff and
$10,000 (which is too much) for QDRIVE if you want really nice embedded
graphics. These prices are almost certainly out of date by now!).
If you want an extensive high-level graphics software system that works with
the Talaris stuff but has far more extensive graphical capabilites, you should
look into TEMPLATE (produced by Megatek Corp., also in San Diego). We produce
pictures with TEMPLATE and stuff them right into the body of TeX text.
DI300 by Precision Visuals looks very nice as well, although I've never used it
and do not know if it can produce output for the Talaris (really QMS) printer.
Warning: TEMPLATE and DI3000 and all related heavy duty graphics libraries
are very expensive. $25,000 or so for TEMPLATE. More for others. Cheaper
for small VAXen.
If you want to go the budget route, there are options there as well. For
an editor stick it out with EDT (yech) until TPU is out (Real Soon Now).
For real nice TeXt, stick with TeX. TeXas A&M university (I think) has
a driver for TeX for the QMS laser printers (same printers Talaris sells)
as well as some fonts. They distribute for free (or close to it). You could
buy the laser printer directly from QMS in this case. The QMS-800 is right
around $10,000. You could put together a decent typesetting system for the
price of the printer. The disadvantage is that you won't have any real
graphics support.
If you need any more information on these products, just let me know.
/Kevin Carosso engvax!kvc @ CIT-VAX.ARPA
Hughes Aircraft Co.
ps. I have no connections with any of the afore-mentioned products other
than being a satisfied customer.