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From: manis@ubc-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.text,net.unix
Subject: Re: nroff/tex
Message-ID: <438@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Oct-86 12:17:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: ubc-cs.438
Posted: Tue Oct 14 12:17:18 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Oct-86 23:59:41 EDT
References: <421@cci632.UUCP> <210@NCSUVM> <7215@utzoo.UUCP>
Reply-To: manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vincent Manis)
Organization: UBC Department of Computer Science
Lines: 15
Xref: mnetor net.text:1069 net.unix:5874

At the risk of getting into a UNIX-vs-the-rest flame, or a TeX-vs-troff
flame, I must respond to Henry Spencer's remark that while TeX runs on
most computers known to humanity, troff runs on UNIX, which runs on most
computers known to humanity. True enough, but computing centre managements
which don't run UNIX generally aren't enthusiastic about switching to a
mainframe UNIX port just so some of their users can do troff. 

I speak from experience: I've been using a 4.2 BSD system for proofing
documents which finally live on an Amdahl 5860 running MTS. I only have
to change a few lines regarding fonts at the beginning of the file, and
from then on everything is exactly the same. 

I have no intention of trying to convince the computing centre management
to switch to UTS, VM/UX, or any other such port just so I can do the same
with troff.