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From: wnp@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Wolf Paul)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: What features would you like in GNU troff?
Message-ID: <8388@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>
Date: 17 Jun 89 12:28:35 GMT
References: <779@pcrat.UUCP> <355@wjh12.harvard.edu> <JES.89Jun16100002@mbio.med.upenn.edu>
Reply-To: wnp@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Wolf Paul)
Distribution: comp
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection BBS, Dallas, Tx
Lines: 31

jes@mbio.med.upenn.edu (Joe Smith):

     >>> = Rick Richardson, rick@pcrat.UUCP
      >> = Brent Byer, brent@textware.UUCP

>> Keep working at it.  It isn't too hard, but it isn't for novices.
>>> Troff has to be taught this.
>> No, AT&T troff is perfectly capable of this, *as is*.
>> Maybe, you have to be taught troff.  :-)
>
>Having spent a *lot* of time trying to get troff and the standard
>macro packages to do very normal kinds of things, I find the attitude
>implied by this very disturbing on several counts, despite the smiley.

Maybe the attitude is somewhat easier to understand 
if one realizes that Brent is the author and vendor of TPLUS software,
which costs ca. $500 for the 286/LaserJet version, binaries and very 
scanty docs only, while Rick is the author of JetRoff, which is shareware
available for $100 including source and VERY extensive docs.

These two guys are COMPETITORS, and while TPLUS has several capabilities
Jetroff doesn't (yet) have, Jetroff is perfectly adequate for the needs
of many users, and more affordable.

Apparently Brent feels Rick is a johnny-come-lately who is stealing some of
his business, thus the acrimony. Understandable, but not necessarily 
appropriate. 
-- 
Wolf N. Paul * 3387 Sam Rayburn Run * Carrollton TX 75007 * (214) 306-9101
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