🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug12.060638.21409@cco.caltech.edu>, carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
(Carl J Lydick) writes:
|> In article <1992Aug6.142933.25821@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
|> gary@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com (Gary Henderson) writes:
|> >
|> >Sorry to jump into the middle of a thread, but starting a file with
|> ><control-D>%! is NOT a reasonable thing to do.  The purpose of the
%! at the
|> >beginning of the file is to create a signature in the first 16 bits that
|> >identifies the file as a PostScript fille.  If the file starts with
|> ><control-D>%!, the first 16 bits are based on <control-D>%, not %!, and the
|> >signature is therefore not one of a PostScript file, conforming or
otherwise
|> >(see pg 265 of edition 1 of the Red Book).
|> 
|> Sorry, but that's just more UNIX magic-number bullshit.  For your
information,
|> UNIX is NOT the only operating system in the world.

Many systems other than Unix ones recognise PostScript files by the initial
"%!". Even our home-brewed primitive arrangements on the local MVS mainframe
do a check on them to prevent garble being accidentally sent to PostScript
printers. Who is being parochial here?

It is indeed a good idea to transmit a ^D (if using a serial port) before 
a document, as well as after it, especially on shared network printers
whose state is always liable to be suspect. But this is the job of the
printing process; it doesn't belong in the file.

Chris Thompson
Cambridge University Computing Service
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