Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!ima!think!barmar
From: barmar@think.COM (Barry Margolin)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: Editing a Macintosh File (never the
Message-ID: <39822@think.UUCP>
Date: 1 May 89 04:09:15 GMT
References: <17605@cup.portal.com> <220600002@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@think.UUCP
Reply-To: barmar@kulla.think.com.UUCP (Barry Margolin)
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
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In article <220600002@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu> mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>I don't understand how an OPERATING SYSTEM can change the position
>of letters on a page.
>Are you saying that the word processor can't tell the printer
>where to put letters on the page? Presumably it sends Postscript
>to a Postscript printer. - are you saying that the OS CHANGES that
>postscript?

The Macintosh system provides a number of utility routines for word
processors, instead of requiring every word processor to know how to
format for every possible output device.

As for whether the word processor outputs Postscript, most Mac word
processors don't deal directly in Postscript, or any other printer
control language.  They call a device-independent printing manager,
which makes use of device-specific drivers.

Changes in any of these layers could change the resulting printout.


Barry Margolin
Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com
{uunet,harvard}!think!barmar