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From: jeff@mcnc.UUCP (Jeffrey Copeland)
Newsgroups: net.text,net.wanted.sources
Subject: Re: Need quality text output cheap
Message-ID: <995@mcnc.mcnc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-Nov-85 08:50:36 EST
Article-I.D.: mcnc.995
Posted: Mon Nov 18 08:50:36 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 20-Nov-85 07:53:58 EST
References: <189@maynard.UUCP>
Reply-To: jeff@mcnc.UUCP (Jeffrey Copeland)
Distribution: net
Organization: Microelectronics Center of NC; RTP, NC
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Xref: watmath net.text:728 net.wanted.sources:1541

In article <189@maynard.UUCP> campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell) writes:
>Help!  We need software that produces quality text output -- preferably
>PostScript -- for VENIX or XENIX.  nroff doesn't hack it, troff doesn't
>speak PostScript, and I've never heard of a ditroff for PC-based Unixes.
>FinalWord II from Mark of the Unicorn looks wonderful, but it only runs
>on MS-DOS and when asked about Unix they said "Never".  Sigh.  We don't
>have a Pascal compiler, or we might have a bash at TeX.  Suggestions?
>(I know, I know, buy a Sun and run Interleaf...  we're not that rich yet.)

This is about the 14th of this type article in recent weeks, and I 
thought I'd give a blanket reply.  

Adobe Systems, (at 1870 Embarcadero Rd, Suite 100, Palo Alto 94303) who
invented PostScript, have a Unix software package called TranScript,
which provides a lot of troff/ditroff support for PostScript printers.
It is available for about $300 for a single CPU binary, or $1700 for a
single CPU source.  It has pieces that will convert C/A/T troff files to
PostScript, ditroff output files to PostScript, emulate a Diablo (i.e,
"nroff -Txerox" output), and other useful things.

As for ditroff on the PC, I have ported it to an 11/70 and had no problem
getting it to work on a split I/D space machine.  (In fact, the original
development was done on an 11, so it should work.)  I have compiled it
for the PC, but have not run it, or extensively tested it, so while I know 
it will fit, I can not say for certain that it will run, but there is 
nothing I can think of to prevent it.

TeX is available in two ports for the PC: one from Addison-Wesley, one
from Personal TeX.  See the Furata and MacKay article in the September
Dr Dobb's Journal for details.

					Jeff Copeland
					...!decvax!mcnc!jeff