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Article #1217

Gentle intro to MetaFont?

#1217
From: Jim Graham
Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1992 23:01
42 lines
2557 bytes
In article <1992Aug3.235051.18637@maths.tcd.ie> tim@maths.tcd.ie writes:
> tdunbar@vttcf.cc.vt.edu (Thomas Dunbar) writes:
> 
> >are there any intros to MetaFont? i'd like something wrt MetaFont
> >like "A Gentle Introduction to TeX" : The TeXbook.
[......]
> Which class are you aiming to join?

I can't speak for the original poster, but I'd also like to find some
type of introduction (simpler than The METAFONTbook).  what I'd like to
see is something along the lines of the book ``First Grade TeX'' except,
of course, for METAFONT.

in my case, not so much to sit down and design actual fonts, but rather
to be able to design some simple (and perhaps later not so simple)
pics that I can include --- things that don't rely on a PostScript
printer, etc.

as an example, over the past few evenings, I put something together by
hacking around the logo.mf file from the standard sources.  it's a
logo that I'm going to use along with a shareware product I'm getting
ready to put out --- a tower, beam antenna on the tower, and a data
packet coming off of the antenna (the sw is data comm stuff for Amateur
Radio).  I managed to define a rather large number of points and draw
lines between them....but it took quite a long time to do.  I suspect
that if I'd had a much simpler intro type book, I might have been able
to get started a little quicker, and not rely as much on the old ``ok,
it works...don't argue, just do it'' bit.

unfortunately, when I called TUG and asked if they had any info on such
a book, the answer was simply that there isn't one.  :-(  anyone able
to prove them wrong?  (not holding my breath, obviously....)
   --jim

--
Standard disclaimer....Ever since my cat learned to type, there's no telling
whose thoughts these really are....         73 DE N5IAL (/9)
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From: jim@n5ial.chi.il.us (Jim Graham)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Gentle intro to MetaFont? 
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <713228511snx@n5ial.chi.il.us>
References: <1992Aug3.235051.18637@maths.tcd.ie>
Date: Fri, 07 Aug 92 23:01:51 GMT
Organization: Me? Organized? Hah! :-)
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