Path: utzoo!yunexus!maccs!dan
From: dan@maccs.UUCP (Dan Trottier)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: TeX->nroff Conversion Package
Summary: TeX --> troff can be done
Message-ID: <1255@maccs.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jun 88 01:03:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: maccs.1255
References: <16150@brl-adm.ARPA> <11945@mimsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: dan@maccs.UUCP (Dan Trottier)
Followup-To: comp.unix.questions
Distribution: na
Organization: McMaster U., Hamilton, Ont., Can.
Lines: 59

In article <11945@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes:
>In article <16150@brl-adm.ARPA> JPLILER@simtel20.arpa (John R. Pliler) writes:
>>... I am looking for a conversion package to convert TeX documents into
>>nroff format.
>
>I would say that it cannot be done, except that nroff and TeX both
>contain programming languages.  Certainly it is not easy (even the
>other direction is quite difficult).

Actually it can be done and has been done. Someone at the University of
Toronto has done an excellent job. This is a sample of the README file.
Hopefully it will be available in the near future to everyone.

--- README ---
texi2roff - texinfo to troff translator

Alpha Version 1    February 1988

Copyright 1988  Beverly A. Erlebacher  All Rights Reserved

Some notes on this program
--------------------------

texi2roff is a program to convert documents written using the texinfo
macro package for TeX to be printable with nroff and troff.  All
texinfo commands are supported to some extent, even if by carefully
discarding them. Since texinfo allows the use of arbitrary TeX
commands provided their leading \ is converted to a @, many common
TeX commands not explicitly in texinfo are supported as well.  To
see which commands are supported, and how thoroughly, examine the
table.h file.  Any command whose type in the table is DISCARD will
disappear with all contained text.

[A couple of lines about updates deleted ...]                   I would
like to post it to comp.sources.unix and/or donate it to the GNU project
for undying fame and glory, or perhaps transient notoriety, when it is in
better shape, so please don't spread it around yet.
[So please don't send me mail asking for it! ]

[This is the amazing thing...]
Before I took this thing on a few weeks ago, I knew almost nothing about
either TeX or troff.  I think some of the discarded commands could be
implemented fairly easily by someone more conversant with troff. I am
embarrassed to be hand-formatting this readme.

[More lines deleted about how to use the utility and some of the limitations
 of the software. ]

--- END OF README ---

Of course it would be nice if TeX and Ditroff produced the same DVI format.
I hate having to remember which device driver is for which formatter. Maybe
Larry Wall will come out with a text formatter and we can all say goodbye
to what we currently use :-)

dan
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