UKTeX V89 #42 Friday 1 December 1989 RE: SpiderWEB (UKTeX V89 #41) PLAIN, LPLAIN and Art! or How to delimit a \bracevert? Spiderweb Rewriting History and The Naked Truth Calling Metafont programmers Transscript - Postscript filter for UNIX spoolers. RE: TEX for MSDOS Editor Peter Abbott More errors ---- Your mail was not delivered as follows: Error reason: access violation, reason mask=!XB, virtual address=!XL, PC=!XL, PSL=!XL Filename and information: $1$DUA14:[ABBOTTP]TELEGRAPH.TMP;291 VAX/VMS FTP (80) Version 5.2 Horizontal_tabs not supported. Invalid value in command: invalid attribute - filename "FTP$NETWELL:MAILTMP.TMP". iwm@UK.AC.IMPERIAL.DOC Subject: UKTeX V89 #41 ---- Subject: Returned mail: User unknown Received: from uk.ac.aston.kirk by s.phy.hw.ac.uk; Fri, 24 Nov 89 16:35:57 GMT ----- Transcript of session follows ----- 550 UKTEX-L@UK.AC.HERIOT-WATT.PHYSICS.SUN... User unknown ---- Latest TeXhax in the Archive is #104 (#102 is now installed) Latest TeXmag in the Archive is V3N3 --------------------------------- Via: UK.AC.CRANFIELD.RMCS; Fri, 24 Nov 89 18:38 BST Date: Fri, 24 NOV 89 18:24:45 GMT From: TEX@UK.AC.CRANFIELD.RMCS Subject: RE: SpiderWEB (UKTeX V89 #41) Actually-to: Sender: JANET"TEX@UK.AC.CRANFIELD.RMCS" Acknowledge-to: RMCS TeX Account Originally-to: CBS%UK.AC.OXFORD.PRG::"weigele",UKTEX Originally-from:TEX "RMCS TeX Account" Mailer: Janet_Mailshr V3.5 ( 13-OCT-1989 14:07:27 ) In UKTeX V89 #41, Martin Weigele writes: >Have you by any chance heard of a generic version of WEB, called >SPIDER WEB (adaptable to arbitrary programming languages, running >under UNIX (SUN)), written by Norman Ramsey, based on Silvio Levy's >CWEB (both Princeton), and, do you happen to know from where it >might be available? SpiderWEB is in the archive at Aston (and has been for some months); I don't have a directory listing in front of me right now, but I think it's in [tex-archive.web.spider(web)] and those below that (not sure if it's spider or spiderweb in the directory name). You'll need an AWK program; OK if you're on Unix, but needing a bit more work if you're using something else. Brian {Hamilton Kelly} +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + JANET: tex@uk.ac.cranfield.rmcs + + BITNET: tex%uk.ac.cranfield.rmcs@ac.uk + + INTERNET: tex%uk.ac.cranfield.rmcs@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk + + UUCP: ...!mcvax!rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk!tex + + OR ...!ukc!rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk!tex + + Smail: School of Electrical Engineering & Science, Royal Military + + College of Science, Shrivenham, SWINDON SN6 8LA, U.K. + + Phone: Swindon (0793) 785252 (UK), +44-793-785252 (International) + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ --------------------------------- Via: UK.AC.OPEN.ACS.VAX; Fri, 24 Nov 89 19:17 BST Date: 24-NOV-1989 19:20:12 GMT From: CA_ROWLEY@UK.AC.OPEN.ACS.VAX Subject: PLAIN, LPLAIN and Art! or How to delimit a \bracevert? Sender: JANET"CA_ROWLEY@UK.AC.OPEN.ACS.VAX" Re: The great LPLAIN mystery Dear Brian {The Gumshoe} {Hamilton Kelly} % enough braces---ed. % BUT see below: My money is on: \mathchardef\ldotp="613A % ldot as a punctuation mark and \def\arrowvert{\delimiter"33C000 } % arrow without arrowheads \def\Arrowvert{\delimiter"33D000 } % double arrow without arrowheads \def\bracevert{\delimiter"33E000 } % the vertical bar that extends braces as being "canonical". Whilst not wishing to get involved in the history of it (there should be a good few PhDs in "The History of TeX" going on this subject in 100 years or so!), I think these changes (which I believe to date from way back) simply never got into LPLAIN.TEX. My reasons are as follows: A: "613A fits with \mathcode `\, = "613B (see page 344) ie they are both "punctuation", but are both from the "math italic" font (but note that it is not an italic comma!). I offer a small prize for listing any differences (there are some) between this definition and "602E which uses the "text roman" font (assuming no changes are made to the fonts nor to font-family assignments!). B: As the bottom of page 156 implies, the alternative (eg "33E, which is in priceless "first editions" of The TeXbook, page 359) is simply wrong. If no LaTeX users have complained about getting a \Gamma when they were expecting a perfectly formed \bracevert (I just checked, that is what our system produces, agreeing with the top, left-hand "00 entry of Figure 1 on page 427), then this merely confirms the suspicions I have long held about the frequency of use of most of the symbols in the TeX menagerie. On reflection, I am not sure what I would expect \bracevert to produce: perhaps it should be something like a \Gamma with an extra diagonal to do the "bracing". [A somewhat larger for prize for any printable and amusing ideas for what a \bracevert ought to look like (NOT what it actually is, which is mind-bogglingly boring!).] However, it may imply that the odd random \Gamma is merely accepted by most users as one of LaTeX's more forgiveable habits! chris PS: remind me to tell you my "Art Ogawa" stories sometime. --------------------------------- Via: UK.AC.SOUTHAMPTON.ECS; Fri, 24 Nov 89 22:04 BST Received: from caxton.ecs.soton.ac.uk by hilliard.ecs.soton.ac.uk; Fri, 24 Nov 89 18:18:13 GMT From: Sebastian P Q Rahtz Date: Fri, 24 Nov 89 18:12:45 GMT Message-Id: <26912.8911241812@caxton.ecs.soton.ac.uk> Cc: info-tex@uk.ac.aston.mail Subject: Spiderweb > Have you by any chance heard of a generic version of WEB, called > SPIDER WEB (adaptable to arbitrary programming languages, running > under UNIX (SUN)), written by Norman Ramsey, based on Silvio Levy's > CWEB (both Princeton), and, do you happen to know from where it > might be available? all of Spiderweb (and indeed Cweb) is in the UK TeX Archive at Aston under [TEX-ARCHIVE.SPIDERWEB]; use the usual methods to fetch it all back home to you. Sebastian Rahtz --------------------------------- Via: UK.AC.OPEN.ACS.VAX; Fri, 24 Nov 89 23:02 BST Date: 24-NOV-1989 23:05:00 GMT From: CA_ROWLEY@UK.AC.OPEN.ACS.VAX Subject: Rewriting History and The Naked Truth Sender: JANET"CA_ROWLEY@UK.AC.OPEN.ACS.VAX" 1. First the moral: ALWAYS check your primary sources! >> (which I believe to date from way back) What rubbish: I now know them to date from 24 May 1988 and 6 Nov 1988! Which only deepens the mystery of "The Shrivenham Files"! Maybe it just shows how long it can take information to travel about 0.5 mile along Silicon Valley! . . . 2. More on \bracevert and friends: The definitions (new or old) of \Arrowvert and \arrowvert still appear very odd if you look them up in the font table on page 432, or try them out (the new ones, that is) as "naked" symbols. However, when used with \left or \right in front, they behave as advertised on page 150, which suggests that they were never intended to be used without such "fig-leaves". Of course, if they are never used naked, then either definition will work (although one or other may be optimal): this would explain the long delay before the correction was made. It would be interesting to browse in the .PL file for CMEX to discover why these are defined like this. chris --------------------------------- Via: UK.AC.UCL.EUCLID; Sat, 25 Nov 89 21:04 BST From: Wujastyk (on GEC 4190 Rim-C at UCL) Date: Sat, 25 Nov 89 21:06 Subject: Calling Metafont programmers Message-Id: <25 NOV 1989 21:06:29 UCGADKW@UK.AC.UCL.EUCLID> Cc: tex-info@UK.AC.ASTON I am interested in exploring the possibility of commissioning someone to create Metafont programs for a particular font. The font is a calligraphic Oriental font which would be a pleasure to do with MF. It might be necessary to write a preprocessor to allow input in a reasonably comfortable roman transliteration; alternatively it might be possible to accomplish all that is needed in this respect by using ligtable commands, especially given their greatly expanded power in TeX 3. This would have to be looked into. A knowledge of the font is not a prerequisite; I can provide all that is needed in the way of samples, advice, drawings, critique, and so on. The font would be clearly specified. What is more important is a good programming style and some familiarity with using MF for original work. The person doing the work would have to have their own workstation and printer (laser probably). The idea I have is to arrange for my Institute to pay a fee for the work to be done, and subsequently to release the product into the public domain (or distribute it free). I might want to interest some other funding agencies in helping to sponsor the project, especially if my Institute didn't like the idea of paying. All financial matters remain to be explored. I have not taken any steps in this regard yet, and will not do so until I have discussed a particular project with a particular individual. This notice is---as you will have picked up---very tentative. At present I am simply exploring whether anyone is interested enough in Metafont work to take up an interesting and challenging, though well defined, project. Please get in touch with me directly if you wish to discuss this further. Yours, Dominik - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dominik Wujastyk, | Janet: wujastyk@uk.ac.ucl.euclid Wellcome Institute for | Bitnet/Earn/Ean/Uucp: wujastyk@euclid.ucl.ac.uk the History of Medicine, | Internet/Arpa/Csnet: dow@wjh12.harvard.edu 183 Euston Road, | or: wujastyk%euclid@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk London NW1 2BP, England. | Phone: London 387-4477 ext.3013 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- Via: [000040010180.FTP.MAIL]; Wed, 29 Nov 89 1:01 BST Received: from vax.nsfnet-relay.ac.uk by sun.NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK Via Ethernet with SMTP id ad08752; 29 Nov 89 1:00 GMT Received: from grace.waikato.ac.nz by vax.NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK via NSFnet with SMTP id aa18691; 29 Nov 89 0:51 GMT Received: from aukuni.ac.nz by waikato.ac.nz; Wed, 29 Nov 89 13:27 +1300 Date: Wed, 29 Nov 89 13:05:56 NZT From: Russell Fulton Subject: Transscript - Postscript filter for UNIX spoolers. Reply-to: ccc032u@nz.ac.aukuni.aucc1 Sender: ccc032u%nz.ac.aukuni.aucc1@nz.ac.waikato.grace Received: From AUCC1(MAILER) by AUCCVAXB with Jnet id 2253 for INFO-TEX@INTERNET; Wed, 29 Nov 89 13:19 Y Received: by AUCC1 (Mailer X1.21) id 2251; Wed, 29 Nov 89 13:18:32 NZT Date: Wed, 29 Nov 89 13:05:56 NZT From: Russell Fulton Acknowledge-To: CCC032U@AUCC1 Message-ID: Subject: Transscript - Postscript filter for UNIX spoolers. A while back I asked about postscript spoolers for UNIX systems and inparticular about Transscript. In case anybody else is interested here is what I found out: Transscript is an Adobe product. It is designed to handle Postscript printers through the standard UNIX spooler. In particular it will automatically convert incoming ascii files to Postscript or can be used in conjunction with other filters that produce Postscript. (eg. dvi..ps) It also handles the interface between the spooler and the printer, collecting Postscript errors etc. +-------------------------------------------------------------+ | Organisation: "Computer Centre, University of Auckland | | Private Bag, Auckland, New Zealand" | | telephone: "+64 9 737-999 X 8955 (GMT +13,nzt)" | | fax: "+64 9 303-2467" | | domain: "rj_fulton@aukuni.ac.nz" | +-------------------------------------------------------------+ --------------------------------- Via: UK.AC.QMC.MATHS; Wed, 29 Nov 89 18:35 GMT Received: from sequent by csvax.cs.qmc.ac.uk id aa11945; 29 Nov 89 18:37 GMT Date: Wed, 29 Nov 89 18:29:13 GMT From: Julian Borrill Subject: RE: TEX for MSDOS Reply-To: jub@uk.ac.qmc.cs Message-ID: <8911291834.aa02537@sequent.cs.qmc.ac.uk> Dear Peter, As you may remember I'm having trouble getting TeX to work under DOS. It has been suggested that SBTeX might be a better bet than DOSTeX, and that you have SBTeX at Aston. Could you please tell me a) is this so b) if it is, if I send you the floppies, could you send me a copy. I realise that you don't usually do this, but there are so few PC's (I think there might be 1, somewhere ...) here that trying to get the files in a form that I can use proved to be a nightmare last time (and took one of the programmers a week !) Thanks Julian *************************************************************************** Editor - The situation of files has changed considerably and MOST PC items are now self unpacking (and long mail messages are split). *************************************************************************** ------------------------ !! !! Files of interest !! [tex-archive]000aston.readme [tex-archive]000directory.list !! [tex-archive]000directory_dates.list [tex-archive]000directory.size !! [tex-archive]000last30days.files !! !! Editor - I have a tape labelled TeX 2.99 LaTeX 2.09 Metafont 1.7 !! Unix 4.2/3BSD & System V. Tar 1600 bpi blocked 20 1 file dated !! 25 July 1989 (from washington.edu). !! !! FTP access site uk.ac.aston.tex !! username public !! password public !! !! I have the facility to copy this tape for anyone who sends the following !! 1 2400 tape with return labels AND RETURN postage. (2.50 pounds sterling !! for UK users, payable to `Aston University') Outside UK please ask me. !! UK users send 4.25 for two tapes or 6.60 for three tapes. !! Send to !! !! P Abbott !! Computing Service !! Aston University !! Aston Triangle !! Birmingham B4 7ET !! !! A VMS backup of the archive requires 2 (two ) 2400' tapes at 6250bpi. !! Remaining details as above. !! !! A VMS backup of TeX 2.991 plus PSprint is available one tape is needed. !! !! Exabyte tape drive with Video 8 cassettes. !! !! Same formats available as 1/2in tapes. We use the following tapes !! SONY Video 8 cassette P5 90MP, MAXCELL Video 8 cassette P5-90 !! TDK Video 8 cassette P5-90MPB !! Postage 35p UK (stamp please), 1 pound sterling Europe, other areas 2 pounds !! !! OzTeX - Send 10 UNFORMATTED (800k) disks with return postage. !! !! Replies/submissions to info-tex@uk.ac.aston please !! distribution changes to info-tex-request@uk.ac.aston please !! !! end of issue