[COFF] Troff usage

[cym224 at gmail.com (Nemo Nusquam)]

Originally, I meant to reply to the Linux-origins thread by pointing to 
AST's take on the matter but I failed to find it.  So, instead, here is 
something to warm the cockles of troff users:

 From https://www.cs.vu.nl/~ast/home/faq.html

Q: What typesetting system do you use?
A: All my typesetting is done using troff. I don't have any need to see 
what the output will look like. I am quite convinced that troff will 
follow my instructions dutifully. If I give it the macro to insert a 
second-level heading, it will do that in the correct font and size, with 
the correct spacing, adding extra space to align facing pages down to 
the pixel if need be. Why should I worry about that? WYSIWYG is a step 
backwards. Human labor is used to do that which the computer can do 
better. Also, using troff means that the text is in ASCII, and I have a 
bunch of shell scripts that operate on files (whole chapters) to do 
things like produce a histogram by year of all the references. That 
would be much harder and slower if the text were kept in some 
manufacturer's proprietary format.

Q: What's wrong with LaTeX?
A: Nothing, but real authors use troff.

N.