Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!cmcl2!esquire!baumgart
From: baumgart@esquire.dpw.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Mac previewer for PostScript(tm)
Keywords: mac previewer interactive debug test develop
Message-ID: <1861@esquire.UUCP>
Date: 16 Mar 90 21:46:38 GMT
References: <3588@infmx.UUCP>
Sender: news@esquire.UUCP
Reply-To: baumgart@esquire.dpw.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Organization: Davis Polk & Wardwell
Lines: 69
In-reply-to: cortesi@infmx.UUCP (David Cortesi)

In article <3588@infmx.UUCP>, cortesi@infmx (David Cortesi) writes:
>Recently several postings have asked for information on PostScript(tm)
>previewers.  I have recently discovered one, have ordered it but not
>yet tried it.  It is "PostShow," a PostScript development environment from
>	Lincoln & Company
>	29 Domino Drive
>	Concord, MA 01742
>	508-369-1441  or  800-223-7469

I've been using it for a while and am generally happy with it.  But
note that you don't get any sort of serious debugging tools -- for
that, you should get LaserTalk.  Of course, you need a LaserWriter to
make use of it, which was a serious disadvantage for me...

Other limitations:  

   o You can only edit one file at a time.  However, you can select
     and execute parts of the file, or execute the whole file.

   o Characters look pretty bad on the screen; it's sure not ATM.

   o It doesn't work with ATM, so even if you have some lovely Adobe
     fonts lying around you can't use them.

   o It's tolerable on a Plus (which is what I have), but not for any
     kind of lengthy debugging.

   o No tools to let you easily or graphicallly manipulate dictionaries.

   o There's no good way to handle multiple page documents.  They give
     you a hokey workaround, but basically you get to see only the
     last page of your document.

   o It's Multifinder tolerant, but that's all.  It won't work in the
     background, and you can't switch out of it when it's thinking
     (although you can abort the interpreter at any point).

On the other hand:

   o You can preview Mac-generated PostScript (from CMD-F); on a Plus
     it takes about 2.5 minutes to display a page.  Considering it
     takes our print spooler at work about 1.5 minutes to shove a job
     at our printer, I'm reasonably happy.  I occasionally go and munge
     the output of Nisus to get background graphics into the
     background (long story), and PostShow is a good way to make sure I
     haven't screwed things up.

   o It runs in 1 meg, though if that's *all* you have you may have to
     dump some INITs.

   o I find it very satisfactory for simple programming and debugging.
     It might be very much less so if I were fooling with low-level
     stuff, or manipulating dictionaries, etc.

So given that it costs just a little over $200 and doesn't require a
printer, I think it's a good deal, especially if you don't generally
write long, complicated PostScript programs.  

Of course, the faster your machine, the better its response.  As it
is, I don't find myself drumming my fingers in frustration all the
time, but on the other hand it certainly isn't an NTX.

If people would like more details, I'd be happy to respond by email.

--
   Steve Baumgarten             | "New York... when civilization falls apart,
   Davis Polk & Wardwell        |  remember, we were way ahead of you."
   baumgart@esquire.dpw.com     | 
   cmcl2!esquire!baumgart       |                           - David Letterman