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From: sbb@esquire.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Unix Desktop Publishing vs. Mac [was Re: Commodore's handling...]
Message-ID: <216@esquire.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Nov-87 00:01:37 EST
Article-I.D.: esquire.216
Posted: Thu Nov 12 00:01:37 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Nov-87 15:09:10 EST
References: <8711030308.AA01230@cory.Berkeley.EDU> <6613@apple.UUCP> <4120@ccicpg.UUCP> <2133@tekig4.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten)
Organization: DP&W, New York, NY
Lines: 34
Keywords: troff, psfig
Summary: troff can do PostScript with ease!

In article <2133@tekig4.TEK.COM> clarkm@tekig4.UUCP (Clark Morgan) writes:
>	...in my opinion, the term "Unix desktop publishing tools"
>is an oxymoron at best.  These tools are certainly not WYSIWYG and they
>have severe limitations with respect to producing embedded graphics
>within text.  I've used the Unix tools on many occasions and they do a
>great job producing a memo or a long document ... just so long as that
>memo/document doesn't need graphics.  If it does, it's time to pull out
>scissors, ruler, scotch tape, and the almighty photocopier.  That's not
>"trivial," in my estimation.  That's drudgery.

Actually, while I have neither the time, inclination or patience to learn
troff and do any kind of real typesetting under Unix, I do know
that with the "psfig" macro package you can put PostScript graphics
anywhere in your text; scale them; even make them into characters and use
them in a sentence and have troff know about it all and format the rest of your
document accordingly.  You can also include PostScript generated from a Mac
program, so that way you can do a graph or technical drawing on the Mac and
then upload it and include it in your troff source.  Pretty neat, huh?

I, too, believe in using the right tool for the right job, and when it comes
to individual page layout and graphic design, the Mac is unsurpassed.  But
when it comes to complicated, multi-page technical documents, where
relationships between the elements of the document become more important than
its physical layout (e.g., you want to break the page here if and only if
a certain table won't fit on the remainder of the page, etc.), face it guys,
the Mac just can't hack it.  You need troff or TeX.

If someone out there wants to know more about psfig, let me know and I'll
find out all the details from our resident troff and PostScript gurus.

-- 
   Steve Baumgarten             | "New York... when civilization falls apart,
   Davis Polk & Wardwell        |  remember, we were way ahead of you."
   ...!seismo!cmcl2!esquire!sbb |                           - David Letterman