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From: mao@blipyramid.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: "picture" preprocessors
Message-ID: <21@blipyramid.BLI.COM>
Date: Tue, 14-Apr-87 16:13:46 EST
Article-I.D.: blipyram.21
Posted: Tue Apr 14 16:13:46 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Apr-87 01:19:01 EST
References: <1963@uwmcsd1.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Britton Lee, Inc.
Lines: 26
Summary: ideal

In article <1963@uwmcsd1.UUCP>, jgd@uwmcsd1.UUCP (John G Dobnick) writes:
> 
> Reading through the -me reference manual for 4.3bsd, I see references to
> "picture" preprocessors called "ideal" and "gremlin" -- "pic" I already know
> about.
> 
> Since these are new to me, my stupid question is: What are they?  Are they
> available?  If so, how?

ideal is a picture-description language that uses cartesian coordinates
heavily.  from the user's manual:

	to take advantage of ideal's capabilities, you must believe that
			\fIcomplex numbers are good\fP.

the manual, and presumably the code, are by christopher j. van wyk.
i don't know who you need to contact to get source, or what the licensing
restrictions are.  anyone else?

the manual's got some sexy pictures in it -- polygons filled and clipped,
easily-generated grids of various shapes, and so on.  the language claims
to support vector math.

note that although we've got source, i haven't compiled it, and don't know
how well it works.
					mike