Xref: utzoo comp.sys.atari.st:11085 comp.sys.mac:19740
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!ll-xn!husc6!husc8!fry
From: fry@husc8.HARVARD.EDU (David Fry)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: DeskJet (a LaserJet in disguise)
Message-ID: <292@husc6.harvard.edu>
Date: 27 Aug 88 23:33:40 GMT
References: <25.230BF78B@rubbs1.FIDONET.ORG> <167@obie.UUCP> <3725@polya.Stanford.EDU> <8625@ihlpb.ATT.COM> <3737@polya.Stanford.EDU> <6131@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Sender: news@husc6.harvard.edu
Reply-To: fry@husc8.UUCP (David Fry)
Organization: Harvard Math Department
Lines: 29

In article <6131@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> engst@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (Adam C. Engst) writes:
>In article <3737@polya.Stanford.EDU> rokicki@polya.Stanford.EDU (Tomas G. Rokicki) writes:
>>Again, using what?  45 minutes a page?  That is simply unusable.
>>Even full-page 300 dpi graphics shouldn't take more than a couple
>>of minutes a page, absolute maximum.  I repeat, *what* *software*
>>gives you such poor performance?
>
>I have waited close to an hour for a page of CricketDraw graphics with lots
>of neat Postscript effects on them.  It wasn't pleasant waiting (I was under
>a deadline) but it did look quite nice when it finally came out.  Definately
>not a speed demon, Postscript.  

While PS is not the fastest language in the world, it's very
easy for people and programs using it to slow it down
unneccesarily with font changes and rotations that could be
avoided with better planning. I have no idea if this is what
Cricket does, but some programs will draw a string of text in
font A, draw a string in font B, and then go back to font A,
etc.  It's better to do all your work in font A and then do
all the work in font B, etc, saving a lot of calculations.

I know people yell about PS's speed a lot, but the LaserWriter
can print a full page 256 grayscale halftone image in a few
minutes, so it can't be all bad.

David Fry				fry@huma1.harvard.EDU
Department of Mathematics		fry@harvma1.bitnet
Harvard University			...!harvard!huma1!fry
Cambridge, MA  02138