[9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[Rudolf Sykora]

Hello everyone

Why do I get an ugly result when trying to typeset (in file 'a')

.EQ
a + left ( A + B right )
.EN

with
eqn a | troff | dpost -f > a.ps?

I am getting an equation in which the 'A+B' is significantly shifted
downwards inside the (), so that the two pluses just don't line up...

Thanks
Ruda

P.S.: what I actually wanted to typeset is 'something + ((A+B) sup
-1)', but the same happens...

Re: [9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[Rudolf Sykora]

One more trial...
Really nobody uses 'eqn' these days?...
Thanks
Ruda

2009/8/13 Rudolf Sykora <rudolf.sykora@gmail.com>:
> Hello everyone
>
> Why do I get an ugly result when trying to typeset (in file 'a')
>
> .EQ
> a + left ( A + B right )
> .EN
>
> with
> eqn a | troff | dpost -f > a.ps?
>
> I am getting an equation in which the 'A+B' is significantly shifted
> downwards inside the (), so that the two pluses just don't line up...
>
> Thanks
> Ruda
>
> P.S.: what I actually wanted to typeset is 'something + ((A+B) sup
> -1)', but the same happens...
>

Re: [9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[erik quanstrom]

> > Why do I get an ugly result when trying to typeset (in file 'a')
> >
> > .EQ
> > a + left ( A + B right )
> > .EN
> >
> > with
> > eqn a | troff | dpost -f > a.ps?
> >
> > I am getting an equation in which the 'A+B' is significantly shifted
> > downwards inside the (), so that the two pluses just don't line up...
> >
> > Thanks
> > Ruda
> >
> > P.S.: what I actually wanted to typeset is 'something + ((A+B) sup
> > -1)', but the same happens...

i do see that the +s don't line up, but only by 1 pixel.
why do you think they should?  i would think that the
centerline of the left ( right ) business should line up
with the centerline of a +.  but that's an uneducated
guess.  can you point to a reference that says eqn
behaves as you expect?

- erik

Re: [9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[Rudolf Sykora]

> i do see that the +s don't line up, but only by 1 pixel.
> why do you think they should?  i would think that the
> centerline of the left ( right ) business should line up
> with the centerline of a +.  but that's an uneducated
> guess.  can you point to a reference that says eqn
> behaves as you expect?
>
> - erik

I don't think I can...
The eqn behaviour just stuck my eyes (for me it seems to be more than
a 1-pixel shift). I have used TeX for my work all my life, which just
typesets it well. On the other hand I like the succint eqn notation
much more...

Thanks
Ruda

Re: [9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[Steve Simon]

> Really nobody uses 'eqn' these days?...

I use it occasionally, I just don't know
how to help you with your problem.

-Steve

Re: [9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[Russ Cox]

eqn has never been good at the precise layout
of large equations.  it's great that they look as
good as they do.

> Really nobody uses 'eqn' these days?...

more precisely, nobody uses eqn these days
who is picky enough about where the + goes
to take the time to fix it.

russ

Re: [9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[Harri Haataja]

2009/8/27 Rudolf Sykora <rudolf.sykora@gmail.com>:
> One more trial...
> Really nobody uses 'eqn' these days?...

I do or have occasionally. No idea about the problem but those mystery
problems, version differences and no progress sadly make it really
hard to seriously use roff.

--
I appear to be temporarily using gmail's horrible interface. I
apologise for any failure in my part in trying to make it do the right
thing with post formatting.

Re: [9fans] ugly eqn/troff result

[Russ Cox]

On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 5:59 AM, Rudolf Sykora<rudolf.sykora@gmail.com> wrote:
> .EQ
> a + left ( A + B right )
> .EN

For what it's worth, the Heirloom Troff distribution
tools format this with both +'s at exactly the same
level.  Perhaps it is the better font support in troff
or perhaps it is due to eqn fixes.

http://heirloom.sourceforge.net/doctools.html

Russ