From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: References: Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:15:18 +0000 Message-ID: From: Charles Forsyth To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=0015175dda2cc5899604b3e192b1 Subject: Re: [9fans] troff book Topicbox-Message-UUID: 4df44606-ead7-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 --0015175dda2cc5899604b3e192b1 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Having read the replies, I thought I'd offer slightly different advice. You are writing a dissertation. The formatting just needs to be what satisfies your university's format requirements, which usually are broad. I'd be surprised if they required an index for instance. Don't waste time and effort on the formatting. For one thing, few people will actually read your dissertation, unless what you're doing is stupendous (and then they won't care about the format): your proof-reader (you have got one, haven't you?), your supervisor, your examiners, and ... that's usually about it. (Your parents will look at it.) If your supervisor supervisor can start fussing about the prettiness of (say) your equations and tables rather than their content, you can reasonably suggest to him that you would appear to be finished. Just do a few test runs first of typical equations just to check that the output is at least reasonable. Much later, when your topic turns out to be important again, someone like me will remember seeing your dissertation mentioned, or find it through Google^, but I can assure you that by we'll still be more interested in the content. I'd use the system with which you're most familiar. You don't want the added distractions of trying to debug the typesetting software, and when something goes wrong, it's much easier if you've used it before. (In my own case, the night of the submission deadline, when I came to do the final copy, I discovered that the troff installation Had Somehow Changed and the output was completely messed up. Unfortunately that predated Plan 9 and yesterday(1), but fortunately it's easy to check each stage of the pipeline, and I could work out where to look for the change to undo. If you're using troff, pick up a copy of refer from contrib. On 2 December 2011 13:02, hugo rivera wrote: > soon I'll begin to write my thesis and I am planing to use ... --0015175dda2cc5899604b3e192b1 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Having read the replies, I thought I'd offer slightly different advice.=
You are writing a dissertation. The formatting just needs to be what
satisfies your university's format requirements, which usually= are
broad. I'd be surprised if they required an index for instance. Do= n't
waste time and effort on the formatting. For one thing, f= ew people
will actually read your dissertation, unless what you&#= 39;re doing is
stupendous (and then they won't care about the format): your proof= -reader
(you have got one, haven't you?), your supervisor,=C2= =A0your examiners,
and ... that's usually about it. (Your par= ents will look at it.)=C2=A0If your supervisor
supervisor can start fussing about the prettiness of (say) your equati= ons
and tables rather than their content, you can reasonably sugg= est to him that you
would appear to be finished. Just do a=C2=A0f= ew test runs first of typical equations
just to check that the output=C2=A0is at least reasonable.
<= br>
Much later, when your topic turns out to be important again, = someone like
me will remember seeing your dissertation mentioned,= or find it through Google^,
but I can assure you that by we'll still be more interested in the= content.

I'= ;d use the system with which you're most familiar. You don't want t= he
added distractions of trying to debug the typesetting software, and wh= en
something goes wrong, it's much easier if you've used = it before. (In my own
case, the night of the submission deadline,= when I came to do
the final copy, I discovered that the troff=C2=A0installation Had Some= how Changed
and the output was completely messed up.=C2=A0Unfortu= nately that predated Plan 9 and yesterday(1),
but fortunately it&= #39;s easy to check each stage of the pipeline, and
I could work out where to look for the change to undo.

<= /div>If you're using troff, pick up a copy of refer from contrib.
=

On 2 December 2011 13:02, hugo ri= vera <uair00@gmail= .com> wrote:
soon I'll begin to write my thesis and I= am planing to use ...

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