TeXhax Digest November 26, 1986 Volume 86 : Issue 9 TEXHAX09.861126 Editor: Malcolm Brown Today's Topics: Re: Issue #7 Re: LaTeX float [h] option query CRAY installation .dvi-to-Postscript converters that run under VMS. re: Contents of LaTeX Style repository, 16th Nov 1986 Canon LBP-8a2 driver TEX dvi Re: Contents of LaTeX Style repository, 16th Nov 1986 LaTeX with Scandinavian characters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Nov 86 14:06:17 pst >From: lamport@decwrl.DEC.COM (Leslie Lamport) To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: Re: Issue #7 In-Reply-To: Your message of Thu 20 Nov 86 11:24:14-PST. * Nelson Beebe wants a method for forcing a figure to appear `here', regardless of what havoc this wreaks on the page layout. The main reason for calling something a figure and giving it a number is to provide a way for the reader to find it, since the figure does not appear in a fixed position relative to the text. If an illustration is going to appear right in the text, there's usually no need to label it formally as a figure. Implementing a nonfloating figure is quite easy; you don't have to mess with LaTeX's figure placement algorithm at all. Simply define a new `herefigure' environment, using the minipage environment, to place its text in a box. (If you want to be fancy and let it fall in the middle of a paragraph, you'll have to play with TeX's \vadjust(?) primitive.) The `herefigure' environment will have to redefine \caption, using the LaTeX \refstepcounter and \addcontentsline commands. * Stephan Bechtolsheim's \ifnum bug is, unfortunately, a feature. You should be able to figure out what's going on if you realize that the input \newcount\x AS EASY AS 1\iftrue \x=7\fi 23. prints `AS EASY AS 1.' and sets \x to 723. I've been bitten on numerous occasions by this one, and have evolved the following rule: whenever setting a counter to a number, always follow the number with `\relax'. The input \newcount\x AS EASY AS 1\iftrue \x=7\relax\fi 23. prints `AS EASY AS 123.' and sets \x to 7. * David Braunegg inquires about the location of the LaTeX errata. They are on the file addendum.tex. This file is meant to be processed when printing the local guide; a sample local guide is printed by the file local.tex. Both of these files are in the regular LaTeX distribution. The latest official version of this distribution is on the directory at SCORE.STANFORD.EDU. * ken@rochester.arpa's note about the LaTeX style repository reminds me that I should announce the existence of an acmtrans style for producing camera-ready copy for the ACM Transactions (TOPLAS, TOCS, etc.), as well as a substyle to produce camera-ready copy for Journal of the ACM (JACM). Anyone who wants to provide camera-ready copy to one of these journals should contact me. Incidentally, a word about ethics is in order here. Using these styles, it's easy to typeset an article to make it appear as if it had been published in one of those journals. (Even at 300 dots/inch, it's hard to tell a home-printed version from a photocopy of a real journal article.) One should never use these styles when there is the remotest possibility of misleading the reader. The only reasonable uses I can think of for these styles are to produce camera-ready copy for the journal, or to prepare a paper for submission to that journal. (The latter use is justified because formatting the paper the way it would appear could make it easier to evaluate.) Leslie Lamport lamport@src.dec.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 86 14:31:06 PST >From: rusty@weyl.Berkeley.EDU (Rusty Wright) To: TeXhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: Re: LaTeX float [h] option query I've had people complain about this too, and I used to be bothered by it as well. The thing to realize that as long as you are doing something that will have a numbered caption attached to it then there's no reason that you need to have that figure "here" because you can refer the reader to it with \ref and \pageref. If you look at any book done by a competent printer you will see that figures are floated. If you want to have some diagram "here" then what you can do is simply use the center, flushleft, etc. environment as in \begin{document} Blah blah blah, as you can see in the following diagram: \begin{center} \setlength{\unitlength}{4in}% \begin{picture}(1,1)% \put(0,0){\line(1,0){1}}% \put(0,1){\line(1,0){1}}% \put(0,0){\line(0,1){1}}% \put(1,0){\line(0,1){1}}% \end{center} blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah \end{document} And, if you wanted a pseudo-caption (i.e., no number), you could use the parbox command or the minipage environment. Typically when people want to do weird things that are difficult or impossible with LaTeX it's because they're trying to do the wrong thing and they're unaware of the aesthetics or issues involved. Sometimes it's because they've developed bad habits ("But I've always been able to do it that way with with troff/MacWrite/MS Word/etc."). Before you start ragging on LaTeX be sure that you understand the issues involved. The way LaTeX formats isn't done according to Lamport's whim or his idiosyncratic tastes; he's researched this stuff. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Nov 86 10:49 ??? >From: "Jeannette V." To: texhax@SU-SCORE.ARPA Subject: CRAY installation Is anyone running TeX or LaTeX on a CRAY? If so, where and what operating system? I thought I heard of someone doing this. Thanks Jeannette Machnis csnet : machnis@gmr.com ------------------------------ Date: 20 NOV 86 23:31-EST >From: DAK%CUTHRY.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU To: TEXHAX@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Subject: .dvi-to-Postscript converters that run under VMS. Is there a working, public domain, VMS .dvi-to-Postscript converter available? Thanks, David. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Nov 86 03:48:31 CST >From: David Chase Subject: re: Contents of LaTeX Style repository, 16th Nov 1986 To: unix-tex@washington.ARPA, texhax@score.stanford.edu > The following files are available for anonymous ftp from Rochester.Arpa > in directory public/latex-style. You should retrieve the file 00index > first to obtain a brief description of directory contents. The files listed are found in public/latexstyle (no hyphen), not public/latex-style. Latex-style does exist, but doesn't contain all of the files. Thought I would save everyone the trouble of figuring this out for themselves. David ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Nov 86 08:59:27 PST >From: Reply-To: VOGT%HGRRUG5.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: Canon LBP-8a2 driver Date: Fri, 21 Nov 86 12:43 N >From: Subject: Canon LBP-8a2 driver To: texhax@score.stanford.edu X-Original-To: texhax@score.stanford.edu, VOGT In respons to my own request 11/13/86: Last week I received an answer from Mr. T. Kamae, Tokyo; he wrote that he indeed was using a Canon 8a2, and he offered me their driver for free. Full address T. Kamaee Oh sorry, an "e" to much. Full address: T. Kamae Dept. of Physics Univ. of Tokyo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo JAPAN 113 May be this driver can be of use for more people. H.F. Vogt VOGT@HGRRUG5.BITNET ------------------------------ Acknowledge-To: Alan Reed Date: Fri, 21 Nov 86 17:02 GMT >From: Alan Reed Subject: TEX dvi To: TEXHAX@SU-SCORE.ARPA , We have a version of TEX running on our Honeywell Multics system, we have written two simple device drivers for the lineprinter and an MCS compugraphic typesetter. What we lack is a device writer to postscipt convertor, since we have access to an apple laserwriter. I understand that there is a public domain version, would you be able to tell me how to get hold of it? Also would you be able to tell me about other public domain dvi drivers? Please reply using one of:- (reference CACM Oct. 1986 Vol. 29 No. 10) oldARPA: Reed%multics.bham.ac.uk@ucl-cs.arpa newARPA: Reed%multics.bham.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk CSNET: Reed%multics.bham.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk EAN: Reed@multics.bham.ac.uk BITNET: Reed%multics.bham.ac.uk@ac.uk ACSNET: Reed%multics.bham.ac.uk@munnari.oz JANET: Reed@uk.ac.bham.multics UUCP: ...mcvax!ukc!multics.bham.ac.uk!reed JUNET: Reed@multics.bham.ac.uk.janet POST: A. Reed; Computer Centre; Elms Road; University of Birmingham; Birmingham B15 2TT; ENGLAND; PHONE: +44 21 472 1301 (Ext. 3535) I cannot reply to you on UUCP. Alan. ------------------------------ To: David Chase Subject: Re: Contents of LaTeX Style repository, 16th Nov 1986 In-Reply-To: Your message of Fri, 21 Nov 86 03:48:31 CST. Date: Fri, 21 Nov 86 14:55:51 -0500 >From: SKY Thanks David, but you should have told me first. My screwup. I left out a hyphen when I updated the directory and created a new one. I have moved things back to latex-style, which is where they ought to be. Ken ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Nov 86 14:12 N >From: Subject: LaTeX with Scandinavian characters To: TeXHAX@su-score.arpa X-Original-To: TeXHAX@su-score.arpa, KORTELAINEN LaTeX in Scandinavian languages We are using TeX on VAX/VMS 8600 and would like to use LaTeX, too. There is a problem in using LaTeX in Scandinavian languages which contain plenty of accented letters \"a, \"A, \"o, \"O and \aa, \AA. The characters correspond to ASCII characters {[|\}] on terminal keybords in Finland. The characters are common in Finnish and Swedish. It is easy to guess that there are problems in using LaTeX: a) You must heavily use commands \"a \"A etc which is frustrating b) LaTeX does not hyphenate the words which contain \"a etc commands. The same problem occurs with plain TeX too but it is easy to make a local modification to plain TeX to output Scandinavian characters and hyphenate words correctly. Control characters \{} are changed to /<> in local modification. The problem with LaTeX is much more difficult. The LaTeX code is not simple and there are no "free" visible ASCII characters to make local modifications. We would like to know if someone has made this kind of modification for LaTeX and what would be the best way to solve the problem? Seppo Kortelainen University of Jyvaskyla Computing Centre BITNET (EARN) address: KORTELAI@FINFUN.BITNET ------------------------------ % %\bye % End of TeXhax Digest **************************