TeXhax Digest November 26, 1986 Volume 86 : Issue 9
<TEX>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
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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
<TEX.LATEX> 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." <MACHNIS%gmr.com@RELAY.CS.NET>
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 <rbbb@rice.edu>
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: <VOGT@hgrrug5.bitnet>
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: <VOGT@HGRRUG5.BITNET>
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 <rbbb@rice.edu>
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 <ken@rochester.arpa>
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: <KORTELAI%FINFUN.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
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
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