[COFF] Re: On Bloat and the Idea of Small Specialized Tools

[Larry McVoy <lm@mcvoy.com>]

On Sat, May 11, 2024 at 11:18:43PM +0200, Steffen Nurpmeso wrote:
> Ralph Corderoy wrote in
>  <20240511091822.B6691215AA@orac.inputplus.co.uk>:
>  |Hi Steffen,
>  |
>  |> pr has always been enscript here, for example.
>  |
>  |enscript turns text into PostScript.  That's not too handy to read.
>  |pr's output doesn't have to be sent to a printer.  I doubt there's
>  |a week goes by without my using it.  It just depends what your fingers
>  |know.
> 
> Nah, it can create text too (with control sequences, but that you
> can filter away again, and mostly there are none, anyway).
> I am actually not using it no more that often; i used it often to
> review (80 column) code via printout, and it can/could give you
> 8 pages on a single DIN A4 paper.  (Or two times 4 pages, to be
> more exact.)

Wow, that brings back memories.  Let me look.  Yeah here it is.  
Prints 8 pages per page from postscript.  Pretty sure I wrote it,
it looks like my style.  But 100% sure it was useful when my eyesight
was better :-)

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

open(STDOUT, "|mpage -a -P- -8");
# Print the starting stuff
while (<>) {
	print;
	last if /%%EndProlog/;
}

$base = "/tmp/psrev";
$page = 1;

# Save each page from 
#	%%Page to the next in a file
$_ = <>;
while ($_ && !/%%Trailer/) {
	$file = $base . $page++;
	#warn "Creating $file\n";
	open(OUT, ">$file");
	do {
		print OUT;
		$_ = <>;
	} while ($_ && !/%%Page/ && !/%%Trailer/);
	close(OUT);
}

# Take each 8 and print them in the right order
$here = 0;
while ($here < $page - 8) {
	foreach $i (2,4,6,8,1,3,5,7) {
		&show($here + $i);
	}
	$here += 8;
}

# One page left.
if ($here == $page - 2) {
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	&show($here + 1);
}
# Two pages left
if ($here == $page - 3) {
	&show($here + 2);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	&show($here + 1);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
}
# Three pages left
if ($here == $page - 4) {
	&show($here + 2);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	&show($here + 1);
	&show($here + 3);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
}
# Four pages left
if ($here == $page - 5) {
	&show($here + 2);
	&show($here + 4);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	&show($here + 1);
	&show($here + 3);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
}
# Five pages left
if ($here == $page - 6) {
	&show($here + 2);
	&show($here + 4);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	&show($here + 1);
	&show($here + 3);
	&show($here + 5);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
}
# Six pages left
if ($here == $page - 7) {
	&show($here + 2);
	&show($here + 4);
	&show($here + 6);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	&show($here + 1);
	&show($here + 3);
	&show($here + 5);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
}
# Seven pages left
# foreach $i (2,4,6,8,1,3,5,7) {
if ($here == $page - 8) {
	&show($here + 2);
	&show($here + 4);
	&show($here + 6);
	print "%%Page: 0 0\nshowpage\n";
	&show($here + 1);
	&show($here + 3);
	&show($here + 5);
	&show($here + 7);
}

if ($_) {
	do {
		print;
	} while (defined($_ = <>));
}
exit;


sub show
{
	local($p) = $_[0];

	$file = $base . $p;
	if (-e $file) {
		#warn "Doing $file\n";
		open(IN, $file);
		while (defined($line = <IN>)) {
			print $line;
		}
		unlink($file);
	}
}