From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id ad8eba49 for ; Thu, 29 Nov 2018 18:52:27 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id B15E9A1F14; Fri, 30 Nov 2018 04:52:26 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 93EA1A1F03; Fri, 30 Nov 2018 04:52:16 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id C0A5AA1F03; Fri, 30 Nov 2018 04:52:15 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mcvoy.com (mcvoy.com [192.169.23.250]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 83FC9A1F02 for ; Fri, 30 Nov 2018 04:52:15 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mcvoy.com (Postfix, from userid 3546) id 2063335E0F0; Thu, 29 Nov 2018 10:52:15 -0800 (PST) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2018 10:52:15 -0800 From: Larry McVoy To: arnold@skeeve.com, tuhs@tuhs.org Message-ID: <20181129185215.GC18414@mcvoy.com> References: <4c36b2b2-76df-435f-27bc-e1feb0647f36@case.edu> <201811162113.wAGLDGiQ031455@darkstar.fourwinds.com> <201811190311.wAJ3BDHR028154@darkstar.fourwinds.com> <6a179556-322c-8ba5-b957-5ae7a03ec610@neophilic.com> <201811290725.wAT7PuE1019145@freefriends.org> <2155b676-a250-926c-1236-1e413cb2019f@neophilic.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <2155b676-a250-926c-1236-1e413cb2019f@neophilic.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.24 (2015-08-30) Subject: Re: [TUHS] man-page style X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" On 2018-11-28 23:25 , arnold@skeeve.com wrote: > Any chance you, or someone else, could write that missing manual that > explains the "why" of the various troff features? > > I've been through CSTR 54 a few times too, although I haven't tried > to write a macro package from scratch, and I have to admit that there > are things that mystify me. There is a lot to be mystified about in *roff but there is a lot to like as well. If you are going to start to look into one, I'd strongly urge you to look at groff & friends. It's by far the most actively developed tool in the roff family. I'm happy to answer what questions I can (though there is stuff that's faded like the whole environment stack thing). I've not written an entire macro package either, but I've written a bunch of macros. And done a bunch of stuff in pic, I love pic. I got James to put the `i'th last construct into pic. Super useful.