Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.hardware:6284 comp.lang.postscript:6548
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!emory!utkcs2!ornl.gov!wnn
From: wnn@ornl.gov (Wolfgang N. Naegeli)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.lang.postscript
Subject: LaserWriter PS versions
Message-ID: <1990Oct31.010343.8464@cs.utk.edu>
Date: 31 Oct 90 01:03:43 GMT
Sender: news@cs.utk.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: Univ. of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Lab.
Lines: 45

About two weeks ago I posted the following question to 
comp.sys.mac.hardware:

> What is the difference between PostScript version 38.0 (2) and
> 42.2 (3)?  We've got LaserWriter Pluses with both.

I did not get a single answer!

I found part of an answer myself, though. In MacWorld, April '89, p. 217, 
Lon Poole writes that Apple switched to PostScript version 47 in October 
1987 and that, "Apple claims that version 47 constructs fonts up to 25 
percent faster and processes bitmapped images up to 40 percent faster than 
version 38."

He also says that 2.0 (supposedly talking about the number that appears on 
the startup page) corresponds to version 38 and 3.0 to version 47.

However, in our LW Pluses it corresponds to 42.2.  So that opens the 
question, what is the difference between 38.0 and 42.2 on the one hand and 
42.2 and 47.0 on the other hand?

Also when extracting information from a printer, CE Software's Widgets 
reports version 47.0 (1) for a IINT and a IINT which was upgraded to a 
IINTX, and 51.8 (3) for a IINTX sold as such.

What do the numbers in parentheses really stand for? And what is the 
difference between 47.0 and 51.8?

I called Adobe Technical Support. The technician on the phone did not 
know, but tried hard and finally came back with the answer that these 
versions are functionally identical--which didn't really answer my 
question.

Will anyone have pitty and give me the answer, or at least point me to an 
available reference where I can look it up, please.
I don't read comp.lang.postscript regularly. Please e-mail me a copy of 
your reply. Your help will be appreciated. Thank you!

Wolfgang N. Naegeli
President, MacClique--East Tennessee Macintosh Users Group
University of Tennessee & Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Internet: wnn@ornl.gov    Bitnet: wnn@ornlstc
Phone: 615-574-6143       Fax: 615-574-6141 (MacFax)
QuickMail (QM-QM): Wolfgang Naegeli @ 615-574-4510
Snail:  Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6206