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From: papowell@vlsi.cs.umn.edu (Patrick Powell)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: which ditroff?
Message-ID: <18075@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU>
Date: 7 Jan 90 20:58:41 GMT
References: <8185@xenna.Xylogics.COM>
Sender: news@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU
Reply-To: papowell@vlsi.cs.umn.edu (Patrick Powell)
Organization: CAD Lab, University of Minnesota, Mpls.  EECS 6-204
Lines: 42

I am currently using a heavily modified version of DITROFF which originated
at the University of Waterloo, then migrated to U. Minnesota.

It has most of the features that are in the DWB stuff, with the addition
of the following:
 Alex White (among others) put (GASP!) error messages
 and diagnostics into the code!

This alone makes it so increbibly superior to the commercial offerings
that I am still sticking with it. Sigh.

I am willing to redistribute this version, which has:

ditroff, eqn, pic, tbl  (updated manuals and documentation also availble)
gts (a graph producing thing), psdit (embedding postscript figures into
output), refer (the program from hell) and its friends.

Updated versions of ms and me macros are also in the package.

There is a "ddumb" driver that produces lineprinter output.  Throw away
nroff for most purposes.   I might add that this version has been modified
to use more than 10 fonts, i.e.- up to 127 (don't ask) are possible.
Temporary fonts are not mounted on position 0 anymore,  eliminating those
stupid problems that EQN used to get into with wild math formulas.

The postscript driver is a heavily hacked version of the original Adobe
Transcript Package Driver.  You need a source license for this.
However,  there is another driver from Pipeline Associates that is just
as good,  and only costs $600.00 for source;  I can give you a modified
version of this driver as well.

I would be willing to let people copy the source using ftp if you send me
the first and last pages of your ATT Ditroff License.  I will then
send you an account and password.

Source for the documentation is included as well.  Hard copies of the
documentation are available from Alpha Print, 14th Ave and 4th St,
Minneapolis, MN.

Patrick Powell
Prof. Patrick Powell, Dept. Computer Science, EECS 4-192,
University of Minnesota,  Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612)625-3543/625-4002