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=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE, URIBL_SBL_A autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 17957 invoked from network); 11 Feb 2021 01:54:22 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 11 Feb 2021 01:54:22 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 2F03C9B969; Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:54:19 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BCB7B94F1B; Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:53:35 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (1024-bit key; unprotected) header.d=ccc.com header.i=@ccc.com header.b="B2cb/pse"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 1CF6B94F1B; Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:53:33 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-qv1-f47.google.com (mail-qv1-f47.google.com [209.85.219.47]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 0C80794F19 for ; Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:53:30 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-qv1-f47.google.com with SMTP id a1so1878325qvd.13 for ; Wed, 10 Feb 2021 17:53:30 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=ccc.com; s=google; h=mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=BJf6hQ9j9M0o36MVPCZcnqnr6kgUUG8YYtnmTHbSgKE=; b=B2cb/pse/Q3T4WQzLoKIjT7jzwdcYmVWJ9os+cfDb+hg9m5lKGcOSbj6ic11swgX+s raMIRZiDrpRo2lVSCbSD8SUw3MUXbQuK6y8j7HAfsXjwe2Dehe6iX3u+BbRXsahVhpp3 9SN180VZ7yQBrAOMQggeTqF4/WRU4bc8m3vhw= X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20161025; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=BJf6hQ9j9M0o36MVPCZcnqnr6kgUUG8YYtnmTHbSgKE=; b=dBuPWCN+RSHOQ8g59/ljVQfUDsUMEELKHlzkn1NGNv/5TzukNvh6zsUsz/mEZ5+rtr WGyaKKfuyvbfYP+VRh+edy7BQlHrLlnu5qyFLcj0k1+cQd5T0u45KKHQaIDFYKXImWuL m43cFn9+iV0LVEMhDVXjEm2xNVSPd5UfEVweRyXdOPwnxBwdqbAVJIeI488C+rMiU5Jq W0oEhuhiZMbCAJLHie4CMkBPJXb74CRCzBng8PKQxUakOV5uTLLCH+CjVFYrdXNbT8MD X2YvbgSZ4U0yYLOzR83Lwv/Dg0X7Gag6KgaW1ZH0ngNCUrBFBc/0+025rpG7EP96lzQW Nm3A== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM531HlhmY4ebCU/CvVAA7js47+oWJb7Cw40WTVeux1G909YnA42Wp yM+TwB2dPsU/Ouh36+bQaMo/TRFQMxdDl8aBcgNYeNK9VhBSAg== X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJxELmke4LpfiXPp1bYxFh0LGC9MdBcYIdkVlIrNwmzmWjAdFLqYJ6lTUGOFLh3fDknP0iXPX7pybaIRumkkpu0= X-Received: by 2002:a0c:c488:: with SMTP id u8mr5794293qvi.9.1613008408130; Wed, 10 Feb 2021 17:53:28 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: <8b580c46-ecfb-9383-ed43-08108b3ee7bf@tllds.com> <20201130163753.GB18187@mcvoy.com> <202102102236.11AMann01820861@darkstar.fourwinds.com> In-Reply-To: From: Clem Cole Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2021 20:53:17 -0500 Message-ID: To: Ron Natalie Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000002fcf0305bb05c9a9" Subject: Re: [TUHS] troff was not so widely usable (was: The UNIX Command Language (1976)) 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: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --0000000000002fcf0305bb05c9a9 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ron. That=E2=80=99s awesome. Ferrin used the Same set of Hersey Font that = the XGP used. He got them from Stanford as I recall but they were publically (aka open source) On Wed, Feb 10, 2021 at 7:28 PM Ron Natalie wrote: > We used nroff quite a bit with both the Model37 teletype (for which it > wsa designed, ours even had the greek box on it) and with output filters > for the lineprinter and the Diablos. > > Later on we drove troff into cat emulators that used Versatec printers. > I don=E2=80=99t knwo wher Berkely=E2=80=99s vcat got their fonts, but= the JHU verset > had an amusing history on that. > > George Toth went down to the NRL which had a real CAT and printed out > the fonts in large point size on film. In the basement of the > biophysics bulding was a scanning transmission electron microscope which > used a PDP-11/20 as its controller and an older (512x512 or so) > framebuffer. George took the scanning wires off the microsope nad > hooked them up to the X and Y of a tektronics oscilliscope. Then he > put a photomutlipler tube in a scope camera housing and hoked the sense > wire from the microscope to that. > > He now had the worlds most expensive flying spot scanner. He=E2=80=99d = tape > one letter at a time to the scope and then bring up the microscope > sofware (DOS/BATCH I think) and tell it to run the microscope. Then > without powering down the memory in the framebuffer, he=E2=80=99d boot up > miniunix and copy the stuff from the framebuffer to an RX05 pack. > After months of laboriously scanning he was able to write the CAT > emulator. > > I had gone to work for Martin Marietta wirking on a classified project > so I wrote hacks to the -mm macro package to handle security markings > (automatically putting the highest on each page on thte top and bottom). > Later when ditroff became available I continued to use it with > various laserprinters. I even wrote macropackages to emulate IBM=E2=80= =99s > doc style when we were contracting with them. > > This was all to the chagrin of my boss who wanted us to switch to > Framemaker. > > > > -- Sent from a handheld expect more typos than usual --0000000000002fcf0305bb05c9a9 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Ron. That=E2=80=99s awesome.=C2=A0 Ferrin used the Same s= et of Hersey Font that the XGP used.=C2=A0 He got them from Stanford as I r= ecall but they were publically (aka open source)=C2=A0

On Wed, Feb 10, = 2021 at 7:28 PM Ron Natalie <ron@r= onnatalie.com> wrote:
We use= d nroff quite a bit with both the Model37 teletype (for which it
wsa designed, ours even had the greek box on it) and with output filters for the lineprinter and the Diablos.

Later on we drove troff into cat emulators that used Versatec printers.=C2= =A0
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 I don=E2=80=99t knwo wher Berkely=E2=80=99s vcat got their fo= nts, but the JHU verset
had an amusing history on that.

George Toth went down to the NRL which had a real CAT and printed out
the fonts in large point size on film.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 In the basement of the =
biophysics bulding was a scanning transmission electron microscope which used a PDP-11/20 as its controller and an older (512x512 or so)
framebuffer.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 George took the scanning wires off the microsope = nad
hooked them up to the X and Y of a tektronics oscilliscope.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Th= en he
put a photomutlipler tube in a scope camera housing and hoked the sense wire from the microscope to that.

He now had the worlds most expensive flying spot scanner.=C2=A0 =C2=A0He=E2= =80=99d tape
one letter at a time to the scope and then bring up the microscope
sofware (DOS/BATCH I think) and tell it to run the microscope.=C2=A0 =C2=A0= Then
without powering down the memory in the framebuffer, he=E2=80=99d boot up <= br> miniunix and copy the stuff from the framebuffer to an RX05 pack.
After months of laboriously scanning he was able to write the CAT
emulator.

I had gone to work for Martin Marietta wirking on a classified project
so I wrote hacks to the -mm macro package to handle security markings
(automatically putting the highest on each page on thte top and bottom). =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Later when ditroff became available I continued to use it wit= h
various laserprinters.=C2=A0 =C2=A0 I even wrote macropackages to emulate I= BM=E2=80=99s
doc style when we were contracting with them.

This was all to the chagrin of my boss who wanted us to switch to
Framemaker.



--
Sent from a handheld expect more typos t= han usual
--0000000000002fcf0305bb05c9a9--