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Re: [Groff] The future redux


From: Daode
Subject: Re: [Groff] The future redux
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 14:42:57 +0100
User-agent: s-nail v14.6.1

Volker Wolfram <address@hidden> wrote:
 |Hi all groffers,
 |
 |in fact I'm a newbie on groff tools and macros. But these \
 |tools are the BEST I've used EVER. I enjoy groff so much, I've developed my

I fully agree -- after almost going stony because of loosing
system content _and_ the backups (forgotten PGP password),
including our nifty homebrew TeX package (or it's usable
version..), some simple troff macros could be hacked very fast to
get back to producing correspondence..

 |own three side perspective CAD macro to made my needs. And \
 |a macro for electrical and pipe scheme. And there so much ideas in mind to
 |make more with groff and companions.
 |
 |And as a newbie I don't know about the code and design of \
 |groff. But I've changed from LaTeX to groff because it is simple and easy to
 |understand. (And not tons of binaries and fonts as LaTeX.) \
 |And that is very cool.

..using groff(1) and its' info manual in a plain default from-CD
system installation (of FreeBSD or Halloween Linux, whatever it
was).  It's small, it's fast, it's practically self-contained, and
it is amazing what is actually possible!  Almost open-ended!

E.g., you don't need tricks like lazy-loaded fonts

  address@hidden@address@hidden@setFont{rm}}%
  ..
  address@hidden@setFont#1{%
    address@hidden@currFam{#1}%
    \csname @address@hidden@address@hidden
  }%
  ..
  address@hidden@address@hidden@currSizeNo{5}%
          \csname @address@hidden@address@hidden
  ..
  address@hidden@address@hidden
  %% ------------------------------------ %% . Roman (\rm)
  ..
  address@hidden@normalrm{%
  address@hidden@address@hidden@address@hidden address@hidden@rm}%
  ..

to get some throughput out of form letters, it does it by itself.

 |My simple wish is:
 |
 |1. Share your groff files and macros without font definitions
 |2. Define for your screenreader font size and margin in .screenreaderrc \
 |and misc stuff
 |3. As you download the file, you can open it with a new screen \
 |reader, which compiles groff file and macro to a PS (PDF) as you like
 |4. Then you can print on paper in different sizes (letter, \
 |A3, A4, A5 etc.) with a new compiler session with your margins and fonts
 |
 |This should not replace html or xml and Internet browser (they \
 |load markup code too and render it on screen)
 |
 |I've tried this in an other situation to print draft and final \
 |PDF files for my own book with different targets in a Makefile and I'm
 |very satisfied. Good typesetting on screen and paper.

Yes, absolutely -- sometimes i have to add a `.hw', but it all
looks really good, i never felt i was missing something,
especially after i discovered that the TeX hyphenation patterns
can be hooked into groff(1)!

Even more, when i look at TeX output once in a while, i indeed
feel uncomfortable, especially when i look from a bit of
a distance: This appearance of «painted uniformity» all over the
paper always makes me feel kind of breathless, and i do no longer
understand why i liked that when i was much younger than today.

On the other hand it would be nice to have the option to simply
hook in .ttf fonts and have a true lookaround typeset engine that
can be turned on with a knob, since unbreakable stuff like "Prof.
Prof. Dr. Blablabla" could be made unbreakable, possibly.
Proofreading can't be helped in the end.

 |On my netbook I think it it's power is enough to render a \
 |good result in a blink of an eye.
 |
 |Please forgive me for my unusual approach to all these things.
 |
 |Once again: GROFF and companions (eqn,pic,tbl, etc.) are great \
 |tools. Thanks to all programmers and maintainers.

And they will be in decades from now.
I fully agree.
Ciao,

 |Regards,
 |
 |Volker
 |-- 
 |Volker Wolfram
 |Lengsfelder Straße 28
 |36460 Dorndorf
 |
 |Telefon: 03 69 63 22 90 22

P.S.:
Fwiw, your mailer is deeply, if not inherently broken.
Updating it would make its maintainer feel a bit more comfortable.
Thank you.

--steffen



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