Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site wjh12.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!wjh12!bb
From: bb@wjh12.UUCP (brent byer)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: WordPerfect, TROFF, and the U.S. Navy DIF standard
Message-ID: <659@wjh12.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Dec-85 11:53:32 EST
Article-I.D.: wjh12.659
Posted: Thu Dec 26 11:53:32 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Dec-85 01:20:52 EST
References: <487@imsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Psychology & Social Relations Dept, Harvard U., Camb. MA
Lines: 52

Christine King of Intermetrics writes:
 
> >We need a way to exchange WordPerfect files and nroff files.  Does
> >anybody know how to do this?
> 
> >It sure would be nice to be able to take an nroff input file, mess with
> >it using WordPerfect and print the result on the laser printer.  And
> >then take a WordPerfect file, send it to the VAX and add a bunch more
> >text to it, then troff it to the laser printer.

In YAAA (yet another attempted advertisement),
Ted Holden (ted@imsvax) extolls:

> 
>      I.M.S. (Integrated MicroComputer Systems) has the
> primary contract with DONOACS (Dept. of Navy Office Automation and
> Communications) laboratory, and hence also of the Navy DIF project.  I
> personally wrote the Navy's testbed set of DIF programs

>	blah blah blah ...

> I.M.S. has a set of DIF
> conversion routines for WordPerfect which sells for $100/copy.
> 
>      In the case of TROFF, however, neither DIF nor DCA would help very
> much;  there are several features of TROFF which preclude writing
> accurate DIF or (reasonably) accurate DCA conversions to it.  Most
> notably, proportional spacing and thinking in fractions of an inch
> rather than in columns are  natural enemies of any such conversion
> process.  Here is what I would advise:  Troff was written 
> in the 1970's... get rid of it.  Xerox's latest version of their 8010
> star, which they call the 6085, is the creature you want.

But, gee, Ms. King didn't post a request for a sales call, she was
seeking a solution to an articulately-stated problem.  She didn't
say she wanted to stop using her Unix machine NOR buy any new hardware.

AND, I am quite sure that she does NOT want to sacrifice such
desirable features as proportional printing, variable fonts/sizes, etc.
After all, that is why she wants to upload it for laser printing.

Ted, if your fantastic whizbang conversion program can only deal
with columnar material, I say `get rid of it.'  Or, at least,
stop trying to foist it off on those who KNOW that they want more.

Brent Byer

	Nephew >>	``Uncle Bill, that steamboat race was the biggest
		  gamble in the world.''

	W.C. Fields >>  ``That was nothing, son.  I remember when
		  Lady Godiva put everything she had on a horse.''