NROFF/TROFF for LaserWriter

[Robert Breckinridge Beatie]

In article <266 at elan.UUCP>, kg at elan.UUCP (Ken Greer) writes:
> From article <293 at tlxprs.UUCP>, by jep at tlxprs.UUCP (Jo Poplawski):
> > ...software packages that will allow us to use an Apple Laser
> > Writer Plus with TROFF/NROFF.  I have heard of DITROFF but do not really
> > know what it is. 
> 
> diTroff replaced plain Troff circa 5 or so years ago.  It's from
> AT&T too.  Basically, Troff was redesigned to allow it to
> work with any output device. The old one was hard wired for
> the C/A/T typesetter.  The result was named Device-Independent-Troff.
> 
> There are a number of vendors supporting Laser Printers with diTroff.
> There are a few who also offer an enhanced diTroff, with the ability
> for example, to include bitmap graphics images into your document,
> or preview your document on your hi-res display, to name a few.
> I work for one such vendor:
>	[Blatant product plug deleted]
 
Here's another possibility...

Pipeline Associates Inc sells a product they call "devps" that is
apparently a ditroff-to-postscript translater.  I personally haven't used
it, but my boss has and he says he's satisfied with it.

According to the addvert I have here, it's capabilities include:
1) Full support of pic, tbl, and eqn
2) Full support of ditroff special character set
3) Support of downloadable PostScript typefaces
4) Automatic merging and scaling of Macintosh graphics
5) Page selection and reversal programs
6) Programs for printing labels envelopes and transparencies
7) troff macros for shading and outlined and rotated text

Now, you can go to the vendor mentioned in the referenced article
and pay them a couple thousand dollars for a binary only license on
a multi-user system (according to the price list I have from a year ago).
Or you can go to Pipeline Associates and for $495 you get a single
system source code license ($895 for a multi system source code license).
If I had an Apple Laserwriter, I know which package I'd buy.

Now, I have no connection to Pipeline Associates.  Nor is anything I've
the opinion or policy of AIM Technology.  These random mutterings are mine
and mine alone.
-- 
Breck Beatie
{uunet,ames!coherent}!aimt!breck
"Sloppy as hell Little Father.  You've embarassed me no end."