[TUHS] Typesetter C Compiler and Troff (Re: Re: v6 Unix Documents)

[Dan Plassche <boomer3200@gmail.com>]

On Sun, 20 Oct 2024, Jonathan Gray wrote:

> I've seen references to
> "Documents for Use with the Phototypesetter (Version 7)"
> which was likely distributed with the licensed phototypesetter tape in 1977.
> 
> What may have been the manual distributed with that tape is also close to v7.
> 
> https://www.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=Interdata732/usr/source/troff/doc
> https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Distributions/Other/Interdata/
> 
> tuhs Applications/Spencer_Tapes/unsw3.tar.gz
> usr/source/formatters/troff/doc/

Looks we have the files from 1977!

There are 3 distributions on TUHS that have the same general name 
and number of source files for the "typesetter c" compiler and 
the "new" troff in C:

https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Applications/Spencer_Tapes/unsw3.tar.gz
	./usr/source/c_compiler
	./usr/source/formatters/

https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Distributions/USDL/spencer_pwb.tar.gz
	./sys/c/c
	./type/croff
	./sys/source/s7/croff

https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Distributions/Other/Interdata/interdata_v6.tar.gz
	./usr/source/c
	./usr/source/troff

The Spencer PWB tape appears to be 1.0.  Dates on files from 
sccsid comments on nroff/troff and throughout the system are from 
early to mid-1977 making this the earliest set.[1]  The files 
under the ./type/croff directory and ./sys/source/s7/croff are 
the same.

The UNSW AUSAM tape has the same files as PWB.  An initial check 
shows some feature flags and structs from PWB are missing for 
[nt]roff here.  However, there are extra notes on the c changes 
and the October 1976 NROFF/TROFF manual source for content 
published in the PWB documentation.  The latest dates on other 
files are from early to mid-1978.[2]

The Interdata files have lots of added comments and changes with 
a late 1978 date listed in some files[3].  It does have extra 
READ_ME files confirming that this was pre-release v7 c compiler 
for v6, which helps validate the PWB and UNSW content.

I'll work from the PWB and UNSW files with the plan to send troff 
details to the groff list and rebuild the compiler in the 
process.  Glad to confirm if the build succeeds and I find out 
any further details about the compiler if relevant for TUHS.

 1. Examples: ./usr/man/man0/introduction: May 1977 and 
    ./usr/man/man0/documents: August 1977

 2. As printed in the copy available at: 

 http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/att/unix/PWB_UNIX/Documents_for_the_PWB_UNIX_Time-Sharing_System_Edition_1.0_197710.pdf

    Updates like the January 1978 changes to the dz serial code 
    provided by Dennis at ./usr/sys/dmr/dz.c.

 3. Such as ./usr/doc/cman/cman1: June 1978.


Best,

Dan