Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think!linus!mbunix!ted From: ted@mbunix.mitre.org (Ede) Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript Subject: Re: *COMPLETE* Postscript Description Message-ID: <84760@linus.UUCP> Date: 22 Dec 89 17:21:35 GMT References: <28@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz> <1989Dec21.000312.3330@ico.isc.com> <17480@rpp386.cactus.org> Sender: news@linus.UUCP Reply-To: ted@mbunix.mitre.org (Ede) Distribution: comp Organization: The MITRE Corp. Bedford, MA Lines: 123 In article <17480@rpp386.cactus.org> woody@rpp386.cactus.org (Woodrow Baker) writes: > >Dick Dunn writes rather facinating articles. However, he is quite wrong >in some assumptions. First, PS is a GENERAL PURPOSE programming language >with an imaging model as it's base. PostScript is a device-independent page description language. Or at least that's what the back of my Blue Books says. I don't think Adobe ever envisioned the printer to be used as general purpose computer. I just can't see Warnock saying to Gesche, "Hey Chuck, let's build a general purpose computer with a built-in Cannon print engine." >It is everybit as potent and powerful >as anything you can stack it up against, APL might be more compact, and better >at marices, but PS can handle most of that as well. Because of that, it >is useful for lots more than printing. I have a ps printer setting on >my desk at home. 90% of the time it is NOT doing printing. It is just >sitting there. Why not offload some computing work on it. It is, afterall >a 68000 with full floating point math, and a file system. There is no reason >not to use it. Agree, so let it sit there an do an LU decomposition of a zillion by zillion matrix. It can blast the results of the serial line using 7-bit data. Or you could do something really bizarre like PRINT OUT the results. > Yes it is a "hackers" dream. Not by the current definition >of "hacker", but by the classic definition "one who knows more about a machine >because he takes the time to explore it more throughly that 99% of the people >out there". The guru type hackers. I am NOT an amature "hacker". I am a >classic "hacker". Ooh boy, hacker discussions. I have no doubt that you are NOT an amature hacker. I look for as much power out of a machine (it costs > $5000) > remember. The decision to cripple the printer by going to 7 bit ascii >(who uses that? That disappeared with OCTAL for crying outloud!) is a rather >serious mistake, because it severly limits what you can do with the machine. Be serious. It only limits what YOU can do with the machine. Our P&G department which bangs off thousands of pages a month doesn't seem to be limited. >more odious, however is the inability to create a truely TRANSPARENT channel >where control D', C's, T's etc can get through. That is teh real problem. Yeah, an 8 bit data path would reduce image xfer by 50%. That's the only benfit that I see. [part about inability to print business cards at a flea market deleted] >All that interpreting is slow, even with a 18mhz 68000. Well, do something useful. Write a compiler/assembler for PostScript to 68000. I realize it's a very difficult problem, but a "classic hacker" should be able to handle it. >Drawing the boarders >for 33 labels, then going back and filling them in takes time. Bit >blitting would help tremendously. I don't use my printer for "type setting >" that much, but rather as a general purpose printer, and graphics >printer. I also use it as a tool for general programming. Bit blitting isn't posible on every platform that support PostScript. >It apparent that Dick never had an ounce of curiosity, nor grew up during >the early 70's with microcomputers. Your assumption. Just because Dick doesn't invest his efforts on oddballs efforts of marginal usefulness it doesn't mean he's not curios. >I started programming micros back >in 76, when a 256 BYTE machine was normal, and no one knew what to curiosity >bumps. We dug through code to see how it was written, what it did, and >how to wring the most possible out of both it and the machine. That kind >of poking and prying is still valuable. So post it to alt.computer.folklore. >Perhaps I am a bit of a hacker, >if some one tells me something is "off limits" etc, I'm going to find out >why. I assume it's the obligation of every PostScript programmer to do so? >This discussion group is not a place for flames, or diatriabes or even >personal attacks. So right now, I will say, that I have just violated that >with the above paragraph, and I applogize for that. Get a real life. Flame then apologize. Be serious. You have an editor, use it. >The Rom monitor was installed for testing, and debugging. It is still >useful for that. Wouldn't you love to be able to retrieve the bitmap? Not really. >amoung other things? The only way apparently to find out how to do that, >is either to pay Adobe a chunck, or go get it your self. Dick, If you want >to pay for the information for my, if you can get Adobe to turn lose of it >I'll shut up and crawl back in my hole, but until that time, I am going >to keep digging. The only way up, is down. Keep digging Woody. We'll be printing with our printers. Now for a final exercise, print out ten pages of: "The LaserWriter is a PRINTER" Feel free to experiment with various typefaces, point sizes and leading. Who knows, you may learn something about typography. Cheers, Teddy |Ted Ede -- ted@mbunix.mitre.org -- The MITRE Corporation -- Burlington Road| | linus!mbunix!ted -- Bedford MA, 01730 -- Mail Stop B090 -- (617) 271-7465 | | - this line intentionally left blank - | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+