[bug #56015] Translation of bullet to MIDDLE DOT

[Jeff Conrad]

URL:
  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?56015>

                 Summary: Translation of bullet to MIDDLE DOT
                 Project: GNU troff
            Submitted by: jeffconrad
            Submitted on: Wed 27 Mar 2019 11:12:09 PM PDT
                Category: Device - others
                Severity: 3 - Normal
              Item Group: Incorrect behaviour
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
         Planned Release: None

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Details:

tty.tmac unconditionally translates \(bu to \(pc or \(md if either is
available.

.ie c\[pc] \
.  tr \[bu]\[pc]
.el \
.  if c\[md] \
.    tr \[bu]\[md]

This seems a strange choice Under any conditions, this seems a strange choice
versus the more common approximation of an asterisk or the venerable ‘+’
overstruck with a lowercase ‘o’; the middle dot and math dot are small,
barely visible, and bare little resemblance to a bullet. The choice is
absolutely bizarre when a true bullet is available.

Is this possibly an artifact of pre-devutf8 days?  Even if it is decided to
keep the unusual dots when a true bullet is unavailable, Would it not make
more sense in general to have something like

.if !c\[bu] \{\
.  ie c\[pc] \
.    tr \[bu]\[pc]
.  el \
.    if c\[md] \
.      tr \[bu]\[md]
.\}





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