TeXhax Digest Saturday, April 18, 1987 Volume 87 : Issue 28 TEXHAX28.87 Editor: Malcolm Brown Today's Topics: %%nefarious notes TeX on Sun 3.2 dvitool - anything new? Theses macro variations for LaTeX "//" semantics -- separator vs terminator Question GFTOPK changes for VMS UnixTeX for FTP INRS TeX Another feature for dvi2ps Lamport's comments about Hallett's comments etc. Roasting and stupid formats PKtoGF or PXLtoGF? Re: BibTeX wish list ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 4/18.87 From: Malcolm Subject: %%nefarious notes %%% Indefatigble Barbara Beeton has recently release an index for %%% the 1987 issues of TeXhax. It is online at Score under the %%% name %%% TEXHAX.87INDEX %%% and a copy has been forwarded to TEX-L for those on BITNET. %%% ------------------------------ From: James Davenport Date: Sun, 12 Apr 87 13:59:50 BST To: Sun-Spots%rice.edu@uk.ac.ucl.cs, texhax%score.stanford.edu@uk.ac.ucl.cs Subject: TeX on Sun 3.2 I have received a patch tape from Sun to the Pascal compiler, which corrects the problem mentioned in my previous communication (faulty compilation of division by powers of two). The reference name on the tape seems to be "pascal_mod_by_2". This tape a pre-requisite patch, which fixes the same bug in C and F77 (and the common code generator). On recompiling after applying these patches, TeX passes the trip test, whereas before the result was a lamentable failure. J.H. Davenport JHD1%CAMPHX%CAGA@UCL-CS.ARPA bond!jhd@uk.ac.bath.ux63 ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 87 16:53:05 EST (Sat) From: Jean-Francois Lamy To: texhax@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Subject: dvitool - anything new? The version of dvitool we have has "questionable features" (it sometimes omits lines and cannot handle pages bigger than 8.5 by 11 inches). It sort of fits like a square peg in the current Suntools environment. We could live with these limitations, but a version that would support PK or even GF fonts would be most desirable. Inquiries at vortex-dist@berkeley.edu fell into a black hole. a) is that the right address? b) is there a PK/GF previewer available anywhere? Jean-Francois Lamy lamy@ai.toronto.edu (CSNet, UUCP) AI Group, Dept of Computer Science, lamy@ai.toronto.cdn (EAN) University of Toronto, Ont, Canada M5S 1A4 lamy@ai.utoronto (Bitnet) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 87 22:10 CDT From: Subject: Theses macro variations for LaTeX To: TEXHAX@score.stanford.edu I would like to know about any modifying macros or rewritten documentstyles for dissertations and theses which have been developed. I am aware and have copies of the StanfordU (suthesis.sty) and the U of Cal (ucthesis.sty) versions available from latex-style@rochester.arpa, I am particularlylooking for others. Please forward copies of the macros if available. Please remember that BITNET can only handle a maximum of 80 cols/line (79/line for safety). Thanks, Cliff Walton CWW0439@TAMVENUS.BITNET ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Apr 87 07:08:14 PDT From: Jonathan_Thornburg%UBC.MAILNET@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: "//" semantics -- separator vs terminator Has anyone modified LaTeX to make \\ a terminator, rather than a separator as it now is? What's at issue is having to remember *not* to type it at the end of the last line of an array, eqnarray, ... environment, then to put it in if a new "last line" gets added, etc. Trying to explain this to beginning users is even worse. The problem is similar to that of ; in (for example) Pascal vs C. Putting in (in violation of the LaTeX book) the final \\ gives, for example, an extra equation number in eqnarray . Since plain TeX treats \cr as a terminator, the problem should be doable without too much surgery on LaTeX's guts. - Jonathan Thornburg userbkis@ubcmtsg.bitnet thornburg%ubc@um.cc.umich.edu ------------------------------ Date: 14 Apr 87 21:28 +0800 From: Jim Diamond To: texhax@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Subject: Question I see on the netnoise that you are open to TeX questions. If not, let me know, so I can seek enlightenment elsewhere. Here's the background: in the TeXbook, the \pagecontents macro has an addition for \raggedbottom users: \if \r@ggedbottom \kern-\dimen@ \vfil\fi when \dimen@ = \dp255 Here's the question: why does one want that kern? Thanks. Jim Diamond ------------------------------ Date: Tue 14 Apr 87 19:18:32-CDT From: Mic Kaczmarczik Subject: GFTOPK changes for VMS To: texhax@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Please pardon a possibly naive question, but... My VMS site is currently in the process of getting TeX up and running, using the standard distribution tape (_not_ Kellerman & Smith TeX). We're using Nelson Beebe's family of DVI-to-everything filters, all of which can understand PK-format font files, but our font files are in GF format. My question is this: is it worth putting the effort into converting all the GF files into PK format? The disk space savings alone look quite promising, but we'd like to hear what other VMS sites running TeX have to say about it. We've got a spare MicroVAX II that's just rarin' to burn some cycles, so CPU time spent is no problem :-) Alternatively, are the Computer Modern fonts available in PK format somewhere? Given that we'd want to convert all these files, this leads to the second question: does anybody have a changes file for GFTOPK to make it run under VMS? The only thing I can scrape up is the TOPS-20 changes file, and I don't want to re-invent the wheel if unnecessary. Thanks in advance, Mic Kaczmarczik User Services Digital Support Group U.T. Austin Computation Center P.S. While I'm asking, anybody know of a DVI-to-QMS filter that runs under TOPS-20? ------------------------------ Date: Tue 14 Apr 87 17:24:25-PDT From: Pierre MacKay Subject: UnixTeX for FTP To: texhax@SU-SCORE.ARPA This is nearly the last message from the old DEC 20 (WARD) on which the small number of ftp files used to reside in PS:. Unfortunately, the loss of the DEC 20 is also the loss of its disk space. At present there is only a very limited ~ftp on larry.cs.washington.edu which TeX will have to share with all other ftp users. I will try to work out the best possible compromise by compressing everything and recoding it in btoa format--btoa and atob are part of tarmail, on the ./compress directory of the UnixTex tape. For a couple of weeks, there will be virtually nothing available, and then I will try to work out which files have the highest likelihood of being needed and put them on the ~ftp directory. Perhaps more disk will materialize later, but it tends to be the case that files expand to overfill any available disk space. Pierre A. MacKay TUG Site Coordinator for Unix-flavored TeX ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 87 06:34:24 EST (Wed) From: Jean-Francois Lamy To: texhax@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Subject: INRS TeX INRS Telecommunications distributes a multilingual version of TeX that allows switching hyphenation tables within a single document. I'm told Mike Ferguson is now reachable by e-mail as mike@tel.inrs.cdn (up to date mailers) or mike%tel.inrs.cdn@relay.cs.net (old style) Jean-Francois Lamy lamy@ai.toronto.edu (CSNet, UUCP) AI Group, Dept of Computer Science, lamy@ai.toronto.cdn (EAN) University of Toronto, Ont, Canada M5S 1A4 lamy@ai.utoronto (Bitnet) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 87 13:00:36 BST From: Mario Wolczko To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: Another feature for dvi2ps Following Jean-Francois Lamy's message clarifying which versions of dvi2ps can do what, here is yet another feature. Strictly speaking, I suppose it should be posted to the Unix-TeX mailing list, but that seems to have died a sudden death. It was written by Ifor Williams, a PhD student here. The differences listed below can be applied directly to the "2.10gf" version of dvi2ps (last modified by Rick Furuta, 8th Aug 1986). The modifications add a "-x n" option to dvi2ps, enabling the printing of n TeX pages on a PostScript page. This is great at saving paper; the use of -x 2 is recommended for all drafts, and even -x 4 works fine with 12pt text. Obviously, only powers of 2 are sensible values for n. Other things to note: 1. The sense of the -r switch is reversed in the presence of -x; pages now come out with pages 1..n at the bottom of the paper tray. 2. Specials don't seem to scale along with the rest of the text (this is a bug). 3. All dimensions relate to the A4 page size. This has the nice property that the length of the long edge is sqrt(2) times the length of the short edge. 4. Certain magic numbers appear within the PostScript prolog; these may have to be tweaked at your installation. Comments indicate where this should take place. Incidentally, does anyone know if it's possible to set a LaserWriter up to print on a full A4 page (including the bottom 1/2 inch)? I tried messing about with the definition of PostScript "letter" but got nowhere. Mario Wolczko ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dept. of Computer Science ARPA: miw%uk.ac.man.cs.ux@cs.ucl.ac.uk The University USENET: mcvax!ukc!man.cs.ux!miw Manchester M13 9PL JANET: miw@uk.ac.man.cs.ux U.K. 061-273 7121 x 5699 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ %%% Mario's code is too long for the digest. It is stored as %%% WOLCZKO.TXH %%% on the Score machine. A copy has been forwarded to TEX-L %%% for those on BITNET. --- Malcolm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 87 09:58:50 EDT From: Simson L. Garfinkel To: TeXhax@Score.Stanford.edu Subject: Lamport's comments about Hallett's comments etc. Just to set things straight... In the last digest of TeXhaX, Lamport defened himself by saying: > As for the remark that > Lamport's comments of "stupid" and "nonsensical" in reference to the > STANDARD sociological format are completely out of line and uncalled > for. Just because it is not used in Mr. Lamport's circles, doesn't > give him the right to degrade it. I would like to point out that this > format is by far the most widely used and accepted. > As I indicated in my original remarks, my main reason for calling the > format "stupid" and "nonsensical" is because it makes the document > harder to read, not because I don't like the circles it's used in. I agree with Lamport. Standard sociological format citations are stupid and nonsensical. I wish I didn't have to use them. In fact, I don't. I petitioned to use a different citation standard (alpha, in case anybody is interested) and it was accepted. I also am able to one and one half space the document instead of doublespacing, (which looks a little better). Some sociologists are reasonable. ................................................................simson ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 87 11:54:08 EST From: cmcl2!phri!alanine.ARPA!roy@seismo.CSS.GOV (Roy Smith) To: TeXhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: Roasting and stupid formats Says Leslie Lamport: > The fact that lots of people do something foolish may help explain why > it's done, but that doesn't make it any less foolish. I think what Leslie seems to be missing is that he's tilting at the wrong windmill. I help a lot of people format documents in what I think are stupid formats. As a matter of fact, the people I help think the formats are stupid too. The problem is that if you want to get a paper published, or a grant funded, or a thesis accepted, you have to follow the stupid rules. Yes, it would be nice if all the journals could aggree on one bibliography format (or at least agree to choose from a small set of formats) but until they do, we have to go along with it. It would also be nice if journals hired professional typographers to design attractive and easy-to-read formats, but they don't. It's nice to say that you won't send your manuscript to some journal because you don't like the formatting rules, but it's just not practical. Given a choice between an easy-to-read format and one that will get my manuscript accepted, I'll take the latter every time. %%% I think that this debate needn't continue, at least not on the digest. %%% Both sides have had their say. 'nuff flaming. Malcolm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 87 09:50:49 EST From: Karl Berry To: texhax@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Subject: PKtoGF or PXLtoGF? Have either of the above font format translation programs been written? kbb@cs.brown.edu {decvax,ihnp4}!brunix!kbb ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 1987 1225-PST (Wednesday) From: Per Bothner To: TeXhax@score Subject: Re: BibTeX wish list (1) Abbreviations as part of another string: There is no need for an explicit concatenation operator, since space will do just fine: @string{popl="Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages"} @proceedings{popl12, title = "Twentieth Annual " popl " (Timbuktu)"} (2) The reviled "sociology" format (references are given in footnotes) has the advantage that the full reference is right there on the same page as the citation, so you avoid page-flipping. I can see that as being a win if most citations are only referred to once or only on a few pages. The problem is with the "op.cit." and "ibid." plague. One solution is to replace them with references to previous footnotes ("cross- footnotes"). --Per Bothner ------------------------------ %%% %%% subscriptions, address changes to: texhax-request@score.stanford.edu %%% %%% submissions to: texhax@score.stanford.edu %%% %%% \bye %%% End of TeXhax Digest **************************