=====//===== \\ // ____ // \\ // |\ /| // // //====== \V/ ||\ //| \\ // // // \\ || \// | /\ \\ ===\ // //==== // \\ || | // \ \\ | // // // \\ || | //===\ \\___/ //======= // \ Volume 4 Number 3 A Mostly Unofficial Publication for Users of the TeX Typesetting System Contents Departments \headline{}........................................................2 \footnote{}........................................................3 ToolBox............................................................4 Features Reader's Survey Results............................................7 Frequently Asked Questions.........................................9 TeXMaG Volume 4 Number 3 page 2 _______________________________________________________________________________ | | | \headline{TeX 3.0 not entirely bug-free!} | |_____________________________________________________________________________| by Chris Thompson In the current state of software technology, no useful program is ever free from bugs, even if it is written by Donald Knuth. When people stop finding bugs in TeX, it could only mean everyone has stopped using TeX! Here is an error I discovered that was introduced in TeX 2.992 (the `beta release' of TeX 3.0) and is still present. We have not received an official bug number for it yet. Although most people will probably never encounter it, the effects if they do can be rather alarming. The bug bites when you try to typeset a character from \nullfont. You may think you would never do such a thing, even by accident, but bear in mind that if a \font command fails (because of a non-existent or malformed TFM file, for example), then the control sequence it would have defined is set equal to \nullfont instead. When you try to typeset a character, random parts of store are interpreted as though they were a kern-ligature program. The consequences, which will vary between implementations, can include random-sized (sometimes ridiculously large) kerns, and `ligatures' notionally from \nullfont that actually get output into the DVI file. These may cause your DVI drivers to collapse: they certainly give DVItype severe indigestion. If you can regenerate your TeX system from source, the following addition to the change file will fix the problem: @x section 552 font_bc[null_font]:=1; font_ec[null_font]:=0; @y font_bc[null_font]:=1; font_ec[null_font]:=0; bchar_label[null_font]:=non_address; font_bchar[null_font]:=non_char; font_false_bchar[null_font]:=non_char; @z TeXMaG Volume 4, Number 3 page 3 _______________________________________________________________________________ | | | \footnote{Of Banners and Table Macros} | |_____________________________________________________________________________| Well, you will notice that the banner is a bit different this month, and we ended up using ideas that people sent in to create the current banner. While the reader survey had strong results, the banner contest didn't generate as much interest. I can only assume that most of you are indifferent as far as an aesthetically pleasing banner goes, which is fine with me. Special thanks to Michael Barr for his banner idea. If any banner won, his did. We based the new banner primarily on his format (only he wanted to see greek letters in the title!). The S-Tables Macros I promised in the last issue will probably have to wait one more month due to the author's summer leave. Sorry to get your hopes up. But, as far as I can tell there should be no problem with them being here next month. -ed. TeXMaG Volume 4, Number 3 page 4 _______________________________________________________________________________ | | | The ToolBox | |_____________________________________________________________________________| Typesetting Double Columns One of the things that seems most frustrating about TeX is the difficulty of formatting text in double columns. There is a good macro on page 257 in the TeXBook that will output double columns. I have taken this macro and made a few additions to it, namely, the ability to make a headline, section and subsection divisions, and various rules throughout. See the internal documentation to remove the vertical ruling. You can modify the section headings because the current format is rather specific to a particular application. The section macro accepts two parameters: a section title and a section subtitle, the former in bold, the latter in bold italic. I was using them in the following manner: The Civil War <---- first parameter (bold) (1861-1865) <---- second parameter (bold italic) as it would appear in the document or \section{The Civil War}(1861-1865) as it would appear in the TeX file. One more thing to note is that you MUST give it a title. Use \title{} with the title in the braces. Limitations? Well, switching between one and two columns isn't allowed, nor does it balance columns on an ending page. Anyone with double column macros that allow for these features are encouraged to submit them for everyone's use! (macro follows) page 5 ______________________________________________________________________ % DBLE.TEX % Double Column Macro based on p. 257 of the TeXBook % with some additions and insertions by % Neil Burleson (NABTEXM@TAMVENUS.bitnet) % % define fonts % \font\sectionfont=cmbx10 scaled\magstep1 \font\itfont=cmbxsl10 scaled\magstep1 \font\subsectionfont=cmsl10 \font\titlefont=cmbx10 scaled\magstep3 \font\textfont=cmr10 % % define a bullet % \def\bull{\vrule height.9ex width .8ex depth -.1ex} \parskip=10pt plus .1pt % % main double column stuff -- I put a vrule in the definition of % \doubleformat. It goes between columns. % Simply insert a % before the \vrule if you don't like it. % \newdimen\fullhsize \fullhsize=6.5in \hsize=3.15in \vsize=8.5in\voffset=17.5pt \def\fullline{\hbox to \fullhsize} \let\lr=L \newbox\leftcolumn \output={\if L\lr \global\setbox\leftcolumn=\columnbox \global\let\lr=R \else \doubleformat \global\let\lr=L\fi \ifnum\outputpenalty>-20000\else\dosupereject\fi} \def\doubleformat{\shipout\vbox{\makeheadline% \fullline{\box\leftcolumn\hfil\vrule height\vsize width .05em\hfil% \columnbox}\makefootline} \advancepageno} \def\columnbox{\leftline{\pagebody}} \def\goodbye{\vfill\supereject\if R\lr\null\vfill\eject\fi\vfill\supereject\end} % % This is for a headline...a title goes on the first page. You % must include \def\title{} in your document. % \def\makeheadline{\ifnum \pageno=1 \vbox to 0pt{\vskip-32.5pt \fullline{\vbox to8.5pt{}\vbox{\hrule height.3pt width\fullhsize\smallskip \hbox to \fullhsize{\hss\titlefont\maintitle\hss} \smallskip\hrule height.3pt width\fullhsize\medskip}}\vss} \nointerlineskip \else \fullline{\hfill} \fi} \def\makefootline{\baselineskip=24pt \fullline{\the\footline}} % % Section and subsection stuff. I like it, but it shouldn't % be much trouble to modify (and you don't have to use it % at all!) % \def\section#1(#2){\goodbreak\bigskip\goodbreak\hrule height .2pt depth.1pt \smallskip\leftline{\sectionfont #1}\leftline{\itfont (#2)}\smallskip \hrule height .2pt depth0.1pt\medskip} \def\subsection#1{\goodbreak\medskip\goodbreak \leftline{\bull\ \subsectionfont #1}} \def\title#1{\def\maintitle{{#1}}} % % end of DBLE.TEX ------------------------------------------------------------ page 6 ______________________________________________________________________ GUILLEMETS.STY And for LaTeX, J"org Knappen has provided us with a GUILLEMETS.STY file for guillemets quotes. (macro follows) % GUILLEMETS.STY by J\"org Knappen, BITNET knappen@dmznat51 % Version 14. Juli 1990 \def\foq{{\ly(}} % < \def\fcq{{\ly)}} % > \def\foqq{{\ly(\kern-.166em(}} % << \def\fcqq{{\ly)\kern-.166em)}} % >> \endinput This style option defines guillemets (french/ spanish/ russian/ ...) quotes under LaTeX. (Plain TeX is *not* supported). They are working in all sizes. Commands for end users \foq french opening quote < \fcq french closing quote > \foqq french opening quotes << \fcqq french closing quotes >> Version history: 14. juli 1990 : Added some comments Created 13. Juli 1990 J"org Knappen, BITNET knappen@dmznat51 Institut f"ur Kernphysik Saarstra"se 23 D- 6500 Mainz % END of GUILLEMETS.STY ------------------------------------------------------------- TeXMaG Volume 4, Number 3 page 7 _______________________________________________________________________________ | | | Reader's Survey Results | |_____________________________________________________________________________| by Neil Burleson I was happy to see a fairly strong turn out on the Reader Surveys. Over 140 people responded figuring to be about an 8% response. TeX is being used on a wide variety of systems (with a vast array of output devices). PC's were the big winners with 29%. Unix/SUN and VMS were a close second and third with Unix/SUN at 22% and VMS at 21%. VM users stand at 8%, Macintosh users at 7%, Atari users 5%, and Amiga people at 1.5%. There were 5% of the respondents using something other than any of the above. 65% of you are using TeX version 2.9x, 22% have gotten around to upgrading to TeX 3.0, 9% are using something older (2.0 or 2.1 were most common), and 5% didn't know what version they were using. As far as other TeX publications people read (and this was one of the most important questions), 77% read TeXHAX, 46% read TUGboat, and no substantial percentage read much else. UKTeX, comp.text.tex, and TeXline were the other publications read. Incidentally, many of you asked what TeXline was. TeXline is a publication sent through "real" mail from Malcolm Clark in the UK. The next question, I soon realized, was ridiculously pointless. I asked what would you like to see in the coming year, and nearly everyone checked nearly everything. And there was not one thing that, as a whole, people wanted to see more than another. The discussion questions and comment section proved to be the most helpful, and I had time to sit down and read everyone's comments and consider them. But again, there was a wide variety of sentiment from different corners of the TeX world. Some people said ``I hate all these obscure TeX Macros!!'' while others would say just as pointedly, ``The thing I like the most about TeXMaG are all these obscure TeX Macros!!'' Some people said they wished TeXMaG talked a lot less about LaTeX, and an equal number said how much they enjoyed all the LaTeX stuff. There was, however, a large desire to see beginning articles on TeX, LaTeX, and Metafont. In fact, there were many who wanted to know how to use Metafont to create fonts for their particular printer if they already had the Metafont code. Many people wanted to see an article on how to build their own style files and macros, as well as articles on graphics. Other requests included book reviews, microcomputer applica- tions, a virtual font article, in-depth variety, tips for those maintaining an installation, a humor column, and a yearly index of articles. Whew! And people had complaints, too. 25% of the respondents mentioned something about the infrequent publication. A lot of people also said they could care less about a lot of the conference talk (especially localized ones, and ones that were already come and gone). There were page 8 ______________________________________________________________________ a couple of comments about the typos in the last issue (sorry folks!), and a few people wished that we would keep our page length limited to 66 lines. This is easy to do with regular text, but with long macros I am not convinced that they should be broken up. We will do our best. Only 6 or 7 people agreed that they got repeated information in TeXMaG. A few others thought at times that they did. And some said that it was not important because many people 1) do not catch things the first time around or 2) only receive TeXMaG. Thanks to everyone who returned a survey for their time and comments. They proved to be very helpful and gave us many ideas for future direction and articles. Remember, we are always happy to receive your article ideas and comments, and are always pleased with macros AND articles that you would like to submit. Please! Keep in touch! TeXMaG Volume 4, Number 3 page 9 _______________________________________________________________________________ | | | Frequently Asked Questions | |_____________________________________________________________________________| [Some folks said in the surveys that they would like to see a list of frequently asked questions. Well, this article happened to come across the network and I thought I would pass it on to the rest of you. -ed] by Bobby Bodenheimer This article includes answers to: 1) Where can I get a DVI to PostScript conversion program? 2) How can I include a PostScript figure in LaTeX? 3) Where can I find a DVI previewer for machine Y running Q? 4) Where can I get the manual for PiCTeX? 5) What is VorTeX and where can I get it? 6) What is OzTeX and where can I get it? 7) What is Fig and where can I get it? 8) How do I get WEB for C or FORTRAN? 9) How can I typeset music in TeX? 10) What is TUG and TUGboat? 11) How do I convert Adobe's afm files to tfm format? 12) In LaTeX, how do I get a double-spaced document? 13) In LaTeX, how do I include a file in the verbatim environment? 14) In LaTeX, how do I do Y? 15) Where can I find a LaTeX style file for doing Y? 16) How do I generate an index in TeX/LaTeX? 17) How do I get METAFONT to do what I want it to do? 18) Where do I get TeX/LaTeX for machine Y running Q? 19) What is the Clarkson archive server? 20) Where can I get a thesis style for LaTeX? 21) How do I get symbols for "the real numbers", "the complex numbers", and so on? 22) How do I get TeX material if I do not have access to anonymous ftp? 23) How do I use PostScript fonts with LaTeX? Many of the answers below tell you that you can obtain something through anonymous ftp. Remember that anonymous ftp is a privilege and that the system administrators for these sites have made these files available out of their own generosity. Therefore please restrict your ftp'ing to non-prime hours at the various sites. I would like to acknowledge Don Hosek, Ken Yap, Tomas Rokicki, and Micah Beck, whose postings provided many of the answers. Joe Weening, Hal Perkins, Walter Carlip, Max Hailpern, Tad Guy, Raymond Chen, Henning Schulzrinne, and Sebastian Rahtz provided additional material and criticisms. The format of this document is based on that of the Frequently Asked Questions appearing in comp.unix.wizards, and written by Steve Hayman. Any mistakes are mine. Corrections, suggestions, and additions to bobby@hot.caltech.edu. This is version 1.6, last changed 7/10/90. 1) Where can I get a DVI to PostScript conversion program? Four very nice DVI to PostScript conversion programs that run under Unix are: dvitps - part of the TeXPS package by Stephan von Bechtolsheim. page 10 ______________________________________________________________________ Available via anonymous ftp from arthur.cs.purdue.edu (128.10.2.1) in ./pub/TeXPS. dvi3ps - by Kevin Coombes. Available via anonymous ftp from tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (128.146.8.60) in ./pub/dvi3ps.tar.Z dvips - by Tomas Rokicki. This driver (in version 5.0 and later) has the ability to deal with the virtual fonts of TeX 3.0. Version 4.21 is for versions of TeX before 3.0 (or 2.995). Available via anonymous ftp from labrea.stanford.edu (36.8.0.47) in ./pub. dvitops - by James Clark. Available via anonymous ftp from june.cs.washington.edu (128.95.1.4) in ./tex/dvitops.tar.Z Of the above drivers, dvitops will compile under Unix, MSDOS, VMS, and Primos, and dvips will probably port very easily. The first two programs would be difficult to port to something other than Unix. 2) How can I include a PostScript figure in LaTeX? Perhaps the best way to do this is to use the psfig macros written by Trevor Darrell. They are available via anonymous ftp from whitechapel.media.mit.edu (18.85.0.124) in ./psfig or linc.cis.upenn.edu (130.91.6.8) in the directory ./dist/psfig. You will also need a dvi to PostScript conversion program that supports \specials. The ones mentioned in question 1 do, and the first two drivers come with a version of psfig ready to use with them. The psfig macros work best with Encapsulated PostScript Files (EPS). In particular, psfig will need the file to have a BoundingBox (see Appendix C of the _PostScript Language Reference Manual_). If you don't have an EPS file, life can be difficult. 3) Where can I find a DVI previewer for machine Y running Q? This briefly lists some previewers which are available via anonymous ftp: dvipage - For SunView. Available via anonymous ftp from june.cs.washington.edu (128.95.1.4) in ./tex/dvipages.tar.Z. xtex - For X Windows. Available via anonymous ftp from expo.lcs.mit.edu (18.30.0.212) in ./contrib/SeeTeX-2.15.tar.Z. dviapollo- for Apollo Domain. Available via anonymous ftp from june.cs.washington.edu in ./tex/dviapollo.tar.Z. dviis - For Integrated Systems. Available via anonymous ftp from june.cs.washington.edu in ./tex/dviis.tar.Z. dvidis - For VAXstation VWS. Available via anonymous ftp from venus.ycc.yale.edu (130.132.1.5) in [.dvidis] (VMS machine). xdvi - Also for X Windows. Available via anonymous ftp from expo.lcs.mit.edu in ./contrib/xdvi.shar.Z and ./contrib/xdvi.patch7.Z 4) Where can I get the manual for PiCTeX? The PiCTeX manual is not free. It is available for $35 from the TeX Users Group: TeX Users Group P. O. Box 9506 Providence, RI 02940 (USA) 401-751-7760 tug@math.ams.com page 11 ______________________________________________________________________ The proceeds from this sale go to Michael Wichura, the author of PiCTeX, and TUG. 5) What is VorTeX and where can I get it? VorTeX is a package of programs written at the University of California. It includes several nice previewers and some Emacs modes for TeX and BibTeX. It is not free. Inquiries should be directed to vortex@ucbarpa.berkely.edu or Professor Michael A. Harrison Att. Vortex Dist. Computer Science Division University of California Berkeley, CA 94720 6) What is OzTeX and where can I get it? OzTeX is a public domain version of TeX for the Macintosh. It was written by Andrew Trevorrow, and is available via anonymous ftp from watmsg.waterloo.edu (129.97.129.9) in ./pub/oztex. The most recent version is 1.2. It is also available from midway.uchicago.edu (128.135.12.73) in ./pub/OzTeX, which contains other public domain TeX-related software for the Mac as well. Questions about OzTeX may be directed to oztex@midway.uchicago.edu. 7) What is Fig and where can I get it? Fig is a menu driven tool similar to MacDraw that allows you to draw objects on the screen of a Sun Workstation running SunView. TransFig is a set of tools which translate the code fig produces to other graphics languages including PostScript and the LaTeX picture environment. Both are available via anonymous ftp from svax.cs.cornell.edu (128.84.254.2) in ./pub/fig. Both Fig and TransFig are also available from the Clarkson archive server at sun.soe.clarkson.edu (see question 19). Both Fig and TransFig are supported by Micah Beck (beck@svax.cs.cornell.edu). XFig is essentially the same program except that it runs under X Windows. It is available via anonymous ftp from expo.lcs.mit.edu (18.30.0.22) in ./contrib/xfig-2.0.*.Z. Note that version 2.0 is the most recent. It was written by Brian Smith. For complete compatibility with TransFig, be sure to get at least patchlevel 4 of XFig 2.0. 8) How do I get WEB for C or FORTRAN? There is a version of WEB for C called CWEB written by Silvio Levy. It is available via anonymous ftp from princeton.edu (128.112.128.1) in the directory ./pub/cweb. There is a version of WEB called Spidery WEB which supports many languages including ADA, awk, and C. It was written by Norman Ramsey and, while not in the public domain, is usable free for research purposes. It is available via anonymous ftp from princeton.edu in ./pub/spiderweb.tar.Z. There is a versions of WEB call FWEB for Fortran, Ratfor, and C written by John Krommes (krommes@ss01.pppl.gov). Version 1.12 will be available soon via anonymous ftp from ss01.pppl.gov (192.55.106.110). Look for the announcement in TeXhax. page 12 ______________________________________________________________________ 9) How can I typeset music in TeX? A package called MuTeX, written by Andrea Steinbach and Angelika Schofer, aids in doing this. It is available via anonymous ftp from sol.cs.ruu.nl (131.211.80.5) in pub/TEX/mtex.tar.Z 10) What is TUG and TUGboat? TUG is the TeX User's Group. TUGboat is their newsletter, which publishes useful articles about TeX and METAFONT. Inquiries should be directed to: TeX Users Group P. O. Box 9506 Providence, RI 02940 (USA) 401-751-7760 tug@math.ams.com 11) How do I convert Adobe's afm files to tfm format? Use the afm2tfm program distributed with dvips, available via anonymous ftp from labrea.stanford.edu (36.8.0.47) in ./pub. If you are using a pre-VF version of TeX, get dvips4.21; if you are using a version of TeX that understands virtual fonts, get dvips5.02 (or later). 12) In LaTeX, how do I get a double-spaced document? One way is to change the value of \baselinestretch to 2 or 1.5 with the command \renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{2}. A better way is to use the doublespace style file doublespace.sty in ./pub/latex-style from sun.soe.clarkson.edu (see question 19). 13) In LaTeX, how do I include a file in the verbatim environment? A good way to do this is to use the alltt environment defined in the style file alltt.sty available in ./pub/latex-style from sun.soe.clarkson.edu (see question 19). 14) In LaTeX, how do I do Y? If you can't figure out how to do something in LaTeX after you have read the manual very carefully, asked your local LaTeX guru, and thought about it, there is a LaTeX help service available (more information is periodically posted about this by Don Hosek). Please note that the way to accomplish something in LaTeX is often by using an appropriate style file, so please check this also (see question 15). If none of this works, send mail describing your problem to latex-help@sumex-aim.stanford.edu. 15) Where can I find a LaTeX style file for doing Y? Before you ask for a LaTeX style file to do something, please check the latex style collection at sun.soe.clarkson.edu, either through the archive server or via anonymous ftp (see question 19). 16) How do I generate an index in TeX/LaTeX? Making an index is not trivial. There are several indexing programs which aid in doing this. Some are: makeindex - for LaTeX under Unix (but may run on other machines without changes). Available via anonymous ftp from ymir.claremont.edu (134.173.4.23, VMS) in the directory [.tex.utilities.makeindex] page 13 ______________________________________________________________________ idxtex - for LaTeX under VMS. Available via anonymous ftp from ymir.claremont.edu in the directory [.tex.utilities.idxtex]. texix - for TeX on CMS and MacIntosh machines. Available via anonymous ftp from ymir.claremont.edu in the directory [.tex.utilities.texix]. 17) How do I get METAFONT to do what I want it to do? METAFONT allows you to create your own fonts, and ordinary TeX users will never need to use it. METAFONT, unlike TeX, requires some customization. Each output device for which you will be generating fonts needs a mode associated with it. Modes are defined using the mode_def convention described on page 94 of _The METAFONTbook_. So first create a file, which we will call local.mf, containing all the mode_defs you will be using. The file waits.mf (in the standard distribution or available via anonymous ftp from labrea.stanford.edu (36.8.0.47) in ./lib) is a good starting point for this. Listings of settings for various output devices are also published periodically in TUGboat (see question 10). Now create a plain base file using inimf, plain.mf, and local.mf: % inimf This is METAFONT.... **plain # you type plain (output) *input local # you type this (output) *dump # you type this Beginning to dump on file plain.... (output) % This should create a base file named plain.base (or something close) and should be moved to the directory which contains the base files on your system. Now we need to make sure that METAFONT loads this base when it starts up. If METAFONT loads the plain base by default on your system, then you're ready to go. Under Unix, we might, for instance define a command mf which executes "virmf &plain," loading the plain base file. The usual way to create a font with plain METAFONT is to then start it with the line \mode=; mag=; input in response to the * prompt or on the METAFONT command line. If is unknown or omitted, then the mode defaults to proof mode. If this has happened METAFONT will produce an output file called .2602gf. The is a floating point number or magstep (magsteps are defined in _The METAFONTbook_ and _The TeXbook_). If mag= is omitted, then the default is 1. For example, to generate cmr10 at 12pt for an epson printer you would type mf \mode=epson; mag=1.2; input cmr10 Note that under Unix the '\' and ';' characters must usually be escaped, so that this would typically look something like mf \\mode=epson\; mag=1.2\; input cmr10 If you don't have inimf or need a special mode that isn't in the base, you can put its commands in a file (e.g., ln03.mf) and invoke it on the fly with the \smode command. For example, to create ln03.300gf for an LN03 printer, using the file % This is ln03.mf as of 2/27/90 % mode_def courtesy of John Sauter proofing:=0; fontmaking:=1; page 14 ______________________________________________________________________ tracingtitles:=0; pixels_per_inch:=300; blacker:=0.65; fillin:=-0.1; o_correction:=.5; (note the absence of the mode_def and enddef commands), we would type mf \smode="ln03"; input cmr10 18) Where do I get TeX/LaTeX for machine Y running Q? Unix - The Unix TeX distribution is available for anonymous ftp from labrea.stanford.edu (36.8.0.47) in the directory ./tex/unix. It is large, so please be sure to observe proper ftp etiquette when getting it. It is also available through the University of Washington, for a small fee. Contact: Director Northwest Computer Support Group University of Washington Mail Stop DW-10 Seattle, WA 98195 (USA) (206)543-6259 or send electronic mail to Elizabeth Tachikawa at elizabet@max.acs.washington.edu. The fee charged for getting the TeX distribution through the University of Washington helps fund the further development of Unix TeX, so it's a good idea to order it this way. PC - A TeX package for the PC, including LaTeX, BibTeX, previewers, and drivers is available via anonymous ftp from eedsp.gatech.edu (128.61.2.1) in ./pub/TeX. The variety here is sbtex version 30 by Wayne Sullivan. EmTeX, another TeX package for the PC by Eberhard Mattes, is available via anonymous ftp from terminator.cc.umich.edu (35.1.33.8) in ./msdos/text-mgmt/TeX/emtex and from rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (129.69.1.12) (user:ftp, password: guest) in ./soft/tex/emtex. This package includes LaTeX, METAFONT, BibTex, etc., as well. All the documentation for emtex is in German, although the Aston archive (see question 22) has much of it in English. TeX for the PC is also available through Jon Radel P. O. Box 2276 Reston, VA 22090 Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to obtain information on what's available. Mac - see question 6 for a public domain version. TOPS-20 - TeX was originally written on a DEC-10 under WAITS, and so was easily ported to TOPS-20. A Distribution that runs on TOPS-20 is available via anonymous ftp from science.utah.edu (128.110.192.2) in aps: (this is a TOPS-20 machine). VAX/VMS - VMS executables are available via anonymous ftp from ymir.claremont.edu (134.173.4.23) in [.tex.exe]. Source is available in [.tex.sources]. Version 3.0 is available in [.tex.sources.tex3_0]. Ymir has a mailserver for those without ftp access. Send a message containing the line "help" to mailserv@ymir.claremont.edu. Atari - TeX is available for the Atari ST from dsrgsun.ces.cwru.edu (129.22.16.2) in ./pub/atari/StTeX. page 15 ______________________________________________________________________ Amiga - Disk 1 of the Amiga CommonTeX distribution is available via anonymous ftp from xanth.cs.odu.edu (128.82.8.1) in ./pub/commontex.zoo. This file is in zoo format so you may need to get zoo to uncompress it: The Unix zoo distribution is in ./pub/zoo-2.01; the Amiga version is available as ./amiga/zoo-2.00.arc. The file copying.tex in the distribution contains information on how to obtain the other disks. 19) What is the Clarkson archive server? The Clarkson archive server is a program that allows you to retrieve files via electronic mail. So it provides a way of getting many neat things if you don't have anonymous ftp. To get the archive server to do something you should send a message to archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (128.153.12.3). To get started using it, send the archive server a one line message "help" (case is unimportant). It will send you back a file describing how to use it more fully. In particular, the Clarkson archive contains, among other things, a repository for LaTeX style files, AMSTeX macros and style files, BiBTeX style files, PiCTeX source (not the manual, see question 4), back issues of TeXhax and TeXMaG, files from TUGboat, and source to TeX, LaTeX, WEB, and various utilities. The archive is maintained by Michael DeCorte. If anonymous ftp is available to you, you may get the files directly from sun.soe.clarkson.edu. If you have problems, contact archive-management@sun.soe.clarkson.edu. 20) Where can I get a thesis style for LaTeX? Thesis styles are usually very specific to your University, so it's usually not profitable to ask the whole newsgroup for one. If you want to write your own, a good place to start is the ucthesis style available in the latex style collection at sun.soe.clarkson.edu (see question 19). 21) How do I get symbols for "the real numbers", "the complex numbers", and so on? These symbols are known as "blackboard bold" and are available in the font "msym" (e.g., "msym10" for 10pt). There is a companion font "msxm" as well. The fonts have a large number of mathematical symbols to supplement the ones provided by TeX. A complete list of the symbols can be found in the November 1985 issue of TUGboat (see question 10). The fonts are available from the American Mathematical Society; also TFM and PK files for the standard scalings are available from the Clarkson archive server at sun.soe.clarkson in ./pub/tfm and ./pub/canon300 (see question 19). GF, PXL, and MF files are available via anonymous ftp from labrea.stanford.edu (36.8.0.47) in the directory ./tex/amsfonts. The file mssymb.tex in the same directory loads the fonts for TeX users (Blackboard bold is the font \Bbb). LaTeX users can access them using the amssymbols.sty style file available from the archive server. The MF sources for these fonts will soon be released by the AMS. Look for them somewhere on ymir.claremont.edu (134.173.4.23). page 16 ______________________________________________________________________ 22) How do I get TeX material if I do not have access to anonymous ftp? There are several mail servers available, i.e., programs that will send you files via electronic mail. Some are: - The mail server at Clarkson (see question 19), if you can send mail to the United States. - Also in the US, the mail server at ymir.claremont.edu has access to all the tex-related material there. Send a message containing the line "help" to MAILSERV@ymir.claremont.edu. - In the United Kingdom, you can get TeX-related material from the UK TeX archive at the University of Aston. (FTP access is also available: Site uk.ac.aston.tex Username public Password public Top Level tex-archive A known file is [tex-archive]000directory.list.) For electronic mail access, send a message to texserver@uk.ac.aston.tex. The message must contain the following three lines starting in column 1 (and omitting the ===> part): ===> --- ===> (your address from Aston - see below) ===> help The server ignores anything preceding the line which commences with the three hyphens, such as mail headers. It also ignores the remainder of the line with the hyphens on it. For Internet users the return address is of the form name%site@nsfnet-relay, while for Bitnet and EARN it is name%site@earn-relay. - There are LISTSERV facilities for TeX on LISTSERV@TAMVM1.BITNET and LISTSERV@DHDURZ1.BITNET. Send a message containing the line "help" to one of these addresses. There is also the DECUS TeX collection, a collection of TeX material for VMS, Unix, MS-DOS, and the Macintosh. It can be obtained from the DECUS Library (reference number VS0058) in the US, or through your DECUS office outside of the US. To contact the DECUS Library, send mail or call: The DECUS Program Library 219 Boston Post Road BP02 Marlboro, MA 01752-1850 (508)480-3418 or send electronic mail to the DECUS TeX Collection Editor, Ted Nieland, at decus_tex@nieland.dayton.oh.us. Another good source of information is NETWORK SOURCES OF TeX WARE by Peter Flynn which appeared in TeXhax, volume 90, issues 45-47 (in May 1990). 23) How do I use PostScript fonts with LaTeX? There are at least four problems with replacing the standard Computer Modern fonts used in LaTeX: 1. The fonts are defined in a long set of macros in lfonts.tex which are not easy to understand and change; 2. You must have a device driver capable of understanding the idea of fonts built into the printer (all the drivers referred to in question 1 have this capability). 3. The default layout of the Adobe fonts is NOT the same as that for the CMR fonts, so you will not get the right characters (ligatures being a good example). 4. The official names of the PostScript fonts are long and in both upper and lower cases. While this presents no problems for Unix, it can cause problems with files under DOS, VMS, etc. page 17 ______________________________________________________________________ The first problem can be solved by one of: 1. Going through lfonts.tex and changing references to CMR to some new font, e.g., times. 2. Overloading the definitions of \bf, \rm, etc., with new font families. 3. Using the font selection mechanism described in Tugboat 10.3, p. 222 ff; a LaTeX interface to this will be part of version 2.10 of LaTeX. The second problem is quickly disappearing since all recent DVI to PostScript drivers have had adequate facilities. The third problem can be solved by: 1. Changing TeX macros, etc., so that the Adobe font layouts are expected. 2. Re-encoding the Adobe fonts in a PostScript prolog so that they conform to TeX standards. 3. Using ``virtual fonts'' to perform the mapping between Adobe and TeX layouts. Tomas Rokicki's dvips driver, version 5.02, (see question 1) has examples of this. A definitive statement on short names for Adobe fonts is expected soon. Meanwhile, there is not much agreement on how to compress Garamond-LightItalic into 8 characters. Bobby Bodenheimer @hot.caltech.edu // BITNET: bobby@caltech.bitnet | // ARPA : bobby@csvax.caltech.edu | Woof! // UUCP : {amdahl,ames!elroy}!cit-vax!bobby | ______________________________________________________________________ TeXMaG is an independently published electronic magazine available free of charge to all interested parties reachable by electronic mail. It is published monthly. Letters to the editor may be sent to NABTEXM@TAMVENUS (BITNet) or NABTEXM@VENUS.TAMU.EDU (Internet) and may be published in a future issue. Publisher: Academic Computing Services of Texas A&M University Managing Editor: Neil Burleson TeX Editor: Robert Nilsson LaTeX Editor: Saad Mir Graphics/TeX Editor Stewart Robinson Copy Editor: Diana Armstrong Chief Consultant: John McClain, Ph.D SUBSCRIPTIONS: CDNnet: Send a note to asking to receive TeXMaG. JANET: Send a note to Peter Abbott, asking to receive TeXMaG. All others: Send the following command as an interactive message (Bitnet) or as a single-line mail message to LISTSERV@UICVM or LISTSERV@UICVM.UIC.EDU: SUBS TEXMAG-L Your_Full_Name. If you have difficulty doing this, send a note to Neil Burleson . SUBMISSIONS: Please send submissions to or ; they will automatically be forwarded to the editor. BACK ISSUES: Back issues may be FTP'd from YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU from the directory [ANONYMOUS.TEX.PERIODICALS.TEXMAG] Back issues may also be FTP'd from SUN.SOE.CLARKSON.EDU from the directory pub/texmag. Users without FTP access may request back issues from the Clarkson repository by sending a mail message to with the form path A_MAIL_PATH_FROM_CLARKSON_TO_YOU get texmag texmag.V.NN where V is the volume number and NN is the issue number. Including a line "index texmag" in the message will return a list of back issues available. Janet users may obtain back issues from the Aston archive. DECNET/SPAN users may obtain them from the Decnet repository. \bye bye! % End of TeXMaG %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%