From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=MAILING_LIST_MULTI autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 8266 invoked from network); 31 Dec 2021 23:41:12 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 31 Dec 2021 23:41:12 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 66ED59D036; Sat, 1 Jan 2022 09:41:09 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 699CB9D002; Sat, 1 Jan 2022 09:40:42 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 6A5249CF51; Sat, 1 Jan 2022 09:40:40 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mcvoy.com (mcvoy.com [192.169.23.250]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 0F9C39CF06 for ; Sat, 1 Jan 2022 09:40:40 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mcvoy.com (Postfix, from userid 3546) id 914AC35E0F8; Fri, 31 Dec 2021 15:40:39 -0800 (PST) Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2021 15:40:39 -0800 From: Larry McVoy To: George Michaelson Message-ID: <20211231234039.GU31637@mcvoy.com> References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.24 (2015-08-30) Subject: Re: [TUHS] roff(7) X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: TUHS main list , Douglas McIlroy Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" On Sat, Jan 01, 2022 at 09:07:49AM +1000, George Michaelson wrote: > But macros aside, anyone who had used runoff had a > massively simpler path into roff than TeX. My future was set. The phd > students at Leeds looked down their noses at me for using cryptic .2 letter > inline magic. They were the high priests of things, I was just a computer > operator. Watching them spend weeks and weeks wrangling a one em offset > problem stopping perfection in print was.. entertaining. I was program committee chair for Linux Expo in 1999 (all that means is I formatted the proceedings into a book). I let people use LaTex but encouraged troff. A few people tried out troff and their reaction was "Wow, that was so easy and groff is really fast!" The only negative reaction was table of contents complaints, LaTex is 2 pass so it can do them, roff is one pass so you have to fiddle with things. A lot. I've used *roff for almost 40 years and I've never had the urge to use something else. I wrote a paper a while back where they insisted on LaTex and it just made me like *roff more. It's Betamax and VHS all over again, the crappy answer won. --lm