Re: [Groff] Using groff as one's main WP/TP

[Clarke Echols]

I use groff for letters, seminar notes (transcribed from hand-
written so I can read them), and lots of other things.  I keep
a few macro files around for various purposes that I have written.
I expand my seminar notes so they have additional content, then
print them for easy reading (my handwriting is lousy after 25
years using computers for nearly everything textual).

It's easy to keep a letterhead file around, pull up vi/vim,
read the heading text into vi, type my text, then use Ghostgum
to read the post script file created from vi by

   :w !groff >j.ps

from my Cygwin-equipped Windows 98 machine.  If the file looks
good, I print it and have a professional letter.  I wish Cygwin
had the ability to directly drive an LP spooler, but alas that
seems to be not the case.

And making presentation pages is duck soup.  I like the feeling
of "absolute control" over the result.  If I want 24-point type,
I get 24-point type.  If I want a 0.28-inch margin, I get a
0.28-inch margin, PERIOD!  Hey -- I'm the most reasonable
person in the world, as long as I get my own way. :-)

It certainly is a LOT better than dealing with Word.

Now if I just had a laptop that could handle 15 hours of operation
on one battery charge (or even six hours) when I attend weekend
seminars.  I'd take my Kinesis keyboard and use vi to take notes.
I can type 80 wpm, but I can't write that fast and my hands get
terribly sore...

If any of you have trouble with tendonitis or carpal tunnel
syndrome, take a look at the Kinesis keyboards.  They are
WONDERFUL!!!  It takes about 3 weeks to get used to one, and
it totally ruins you for "normal" keyboards, but I can hit
the number row across the top with over 90% accuracy quite
easily, something I could never do on a "standard" typewriter
keyboard.  ( http://www.kinesis-ergo.com )  Their countoured
keyboards (some models) can be switched between QWERTY and
Dvorak key layout.  I use their "Professional QD" model, though
I've never tried the Dvorak layout.

Clarke

Robert Marks wrote:
> 
> > However, I think that using groff to write your webpage, or as a
> > front end for various document formats, is probably misdirected.
> > DocBook, word processors, LaTeX (in some cases), and so on are much
> > better suited to these various tasks.
> 
> I use groff for letters, academic papers, and class overheads (with the
> mpresent package).  I've been using *roff since the days of nroff and
> daisywheel printers, i.e., 1978.  Am I alone?
> 
> Robert Marks
> 
> --
> Robert MARKS, Australian Graduate School of Management,
>               UNSW SYDNEY, NSW 2052, Australia
> Home page:    <http://www.agsm.edu.au/~bobm>
> 
> Disclaimer: http://www.agsm.edu.au/email_disclaimer.html
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