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Article #4188

Bad spacing in old troff

#4188
From: Scott Simpson
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1987 01:04
27 lines
1957 bytes
My version of old troff doesn't always space large mathematical symbols
correctly when using eqn and I was wondering if anybody had a fix.  For
example, if I print the document ``Typesetting Mathematics - User's Guide''
using old troff, the Sigma in the equation on the first line of the abstract
is shifted over to the right about the same distance it is wide.  It looks
something like
		.   S
		k>=1

where S represents the Sigma and the period is the reference point where it
should be.  Ditroff does not suffer from this malady.  Also, I have tried
both the old version of eqn and ditroff's eqn with the -Tcat option so I think
I have ruled out eqn.  Also, the post-processor is not incorrect because
I looked at the raw output of troff (yuck!) and indeed it is shifted over too
far.  If you have ever looked at old troff source code, you know how unreadable
and uncommented it is.  I give up.
	On a lighter side, can anybody tell me what the ditroff sequences
l., L. and Sl are supposed to represent?  These sequences are located in the
file tc.c in the ditroff distribution but it doesn't say what they are!
	How many driver writers out there have implemented the spline
command of ditroff?  This is sure a bitch if your laser printer does not
support spline interpolation.
-- 
		Scott Simpson
		TRW Space and Defense
		...{decvax,ihnp4,ucbvax}!trwrb!simpson	(UUCP)
		trwrb!simpson@trwind.trw.com		(it. EV
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From: simpson@trwrb.UUCP (Scott Simpson)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Bad spacing in old troff
Message-ID: <3659@trwrb.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Nov-87 20:04:48 EST
Article-I.D.: trwrb.3659
Posted: Thu Nov 12 20:04:48 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Nov-87 03:46:46 EST
Organization: TRW SDS, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 27
Keywords: ditroff, otroff, spacing