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authorNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900
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+*=============================================================================*
+| |
+| =====//===== \\ // ____ A Mostly Unofficial |
+| // \\ // |\ /| // Publication for Users |
+| // //====== \V/ ||\ //| \\ of the TeX Typesetting |
+| // // // \\ || \// | /\ \\ ===\ System. |
+| // //==== // \\ || | // \ \\ | |
+| // // // \\ || | //===\ \\___/ Volume 4, Number 2 |
+| //======= // \ Distribution: 2150 or so |
+| |
+*=============================================================================*
+
+Contents
+
+Departments
+ \headline..........................................................1
+ \footnote..........................................................2
+ ToolBox............................................................3
+Features
+ Reader's Survey....................................................4
+ Bart Childs' Thoughts on TUG.......................................5
+ Notes on Coming Issues.............................................6
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+TeXMaG Volume 4 Number 2 page 1
+
+*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+| \headline{TeXMaG's New Look...} |
+*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+
+TeXMaG is undergoing some changes, the biggest of which is a change of
+editorial staff. Formerly, as we all know, it was produced by Don
+Hosek, who is putting TeXMaG aside for greater and grander pursuits.
+In the past TeXMaG was published rather sporadically. We would like
+to change this and produce TeXMaG close to once a month. If this
+becomes an unreasonable goal, it will be published regularly, no less
+that once every two months.
+
+In the past TeXMaG has been a sort of melting pot for articles ranging
+from macros to device drivers to fonts to beginning topics in both TeX
+and LaTeX. We feel it would be good to narrow the scope of TeXMaG
+somewhat. While we feel it should definitely be a valuable resource
+for TeX and LaTeX users alike, we also feel its topics should be more
+centralized as an aid to the reader. This issue contains a Reader's
+Survey which we feel will help guide us in finding your biggest needs.
+PLEASE! Help us by filling it out and returning it by July 20.
+
+In addition, we would also like to start a letters to the editor
+column. Feel free to send your comments and suggestions for TeXMaG to
+my address (which is listed about a dozen times in this issue so I
+won't type it again).
+
+This issue is abbreviated in size due to the change in editing staff
+coupled with the fact that we wanted to get the survey out as quickly
+as possible. The last article details some upcoming features to look
+for in future issues.
+
+-ed.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+TeXMaG Volume 4, Issue 2 page 2
+
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+| \footline{The Banner Contest} |
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+
+Avid readers of the TeXMaG probably noticed the revised banner. We
+thought it was time for a change, but we were not perfectly satisfied
+with the results. While we thought it looked nice and was a good
+effort, we feel more could be done.
+
+ ***** NOW HERE THIS!! ******
+
+We are calling for all interested parties to butt your heads together
+and devise a new banner. We are going to have a judging between now and
+the next issue to determine the winner. The prize? Well, your banner
+will be the NEW banner and we will announce your name and put your
+banner in the next issue of TeXMaG. Of course, all entries are subject
+to the approval of the editing staff, and we reserve the right to keep
+the current banner if we deem it to be the best (so there!).
+
+Regulations for a New Banner: Only standard printable characters.
+80-columns wide. Must reserve a place for volume, issue, and distrib-
+ution counts. The current caption describing TeXMaG is fine, but if
+you think you have a better one, send it in.
+
+Send entries to NABTEXM@TAMVENUS (NABTEXM@VENUS.TAMU.EDU).
+
+-ed.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+TeXMaG Volume 4, Issue 2 page 3
+
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+| The ToolBox |
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+
+In this month's ToolBox we have a LaTeX style file which allows you to
+create an outlined box with a shadow; following we have a plain TeX
+macro to do the same. In addition, the TeX macro allows you the option
+of having angled corners on the shadowed box.
+
+We played around with the style file some and got some nice results.
+You can put an entire paragraph in the box if you like; however we did
+have some problems trying to use this in multiple column mode, so
+don't try that unless you are sure your box is less than the column
+width.
+
+(Mauro, any solutions to this problem?)
+
+(cut here for LaTeX style file)
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+%
+% File: SHADOW.STY
+% (adapted from the file dropshadow.tex by drstrip@cd.sandia.gov)
+%
+% Creation date: 6 June 1990
+%
+% Abstract: The command \sbox has the same meaning of the LaTeX command
+% \fbox except for the fact that a "shadow" is added to the
+% bottom and the right side of the box.
+% It computes the right dimension of the box, also if the text
+% spans over more than one line; in this case a warning message
+% is given.
+% There are three parameters governing:
+% 1. the width of the lines comprising the box -> \sboxrule
+% 2. the separation between the edge of the box
+% and its contents -> \sboxsep
+% 3. the dimension of the shadow -> \sdim
+% To use this file put it in the preamble, as usual:
+% \documentstyle[...,shadow,...]{...}
+%
+% Syntax: \sbox{<text>}
+% where <text> is the text to be put in the framed box
+% Example: \sbox{This is an example.}
+%
+% Author: Mauro Orlandini
+% International School for Advanced Studies - Trieste - Italy
+% ORLANDIN@ITSSISSA
+% 38007::ORLANDINI
+%
+\newdimen\sht \newdimen\shw \newbox\shbox
+\newdimen\sboxsep \newdimen\sboxrule \newdimen\sdim
+\sboxsep = 10pt
+\sdim = 4pt
+\sboxrule = .4pt
+\def\sbox#1{\setbox\@tempboxa\hbox{#1}
+\shw\wd\@tempboxa
+\ifdim\shw<\textwidth
+ \leavevmode\setbox\@tempboxa\hbox{#1}
+\else
+ \typeout{Warning. Box dimension greater than textwidth.}
+ \setbox\@tempboxa\vbox{\hsize\textwidth\advance\hsize-2\sboxsep
+ \advance\hsize-2\sboxrule \advance\hsize-\sdim#1}
+\fi
+ \setbox\shbox\hbox{\@tempdima\sboxrule
+ \advance\@tempdima \sboxsep \advance\@tempdima \dp\@tempboxa
+ \hbox{\lower \@tempdima\hbox
+ {\vbox{\hrule \@height \sboxrule
+ \hbox{\vrule \@width \sboxrule \hskip\sboxsep
+ \vbox{\vskip\sboxsep \box\@tempboxa\vskip\sboxsep}\hskip
+ \sboxsep\vrule \@width \sboxrule}
+ \hrule \@height \sboxrule}}}}
+\sht\ht\shbox \advance\sht-\sdim
+\leavevmode\vbox{\baselineskip0pt\lineskip0pt
+ \hbox{\copy\shbox\vrule width\sdim height\sht}
+ \hbox{\kern\sdim\vrule height\sdim width \wd\shbox}}}
+%
+% End of SHADOW.STY
+%
+____________________________________________________________________
+(cut here)
+
+Here is a similar macro for use in plain TeX. The format is
+\shadowbox{...text...}. You also have the option of angled edges
+(which is the default). To get non angled edges, the appropriate
+command is \anglesfalse. The accuracy of the angled edges can be
+adjusted. The default is 50 (this means that there are 50 hrules in
+each of the angles). Use the \accuracy= token to do this.
+
+Of course, to typeset a paragraph, put the text into a \vbox within
+\shadowbox.
+
+(cut here for TeX macro)
+---------------------------------------------------------------------
+%
+% Shadow Box Macro v1.0
+%
+% Academic Computing Services
+%
+% Texas A&M University
+%
+% Written by Robert Nilsson (RANHELP@VENUS.TAMU.EDU)
+%
+\message{<Shadow Box v1.0, ACS, TAMU (RANHELP@VENUS.TAMU.EDU)>}
+%
+% Control Values
+%
+\newdimen\shadowwidth
+\shadowwidth=4pt
+\newdimen\normalwidth
+\normalwidth=0.4pt
+\newcount\accuracy
+\accuracy=50
+\newif\ifangles
+\anglestrue
+%
+% Define \shadowbuff to be the amount of space on
+% either side of the contents of the box.
+%
+\def\shadowbuff{\quad}
+%
+% Internal Variables
+%
+\newdimen\shadowboxwd
+\newdimen\shadowboxht
+\newcount\shadowloop
+\newdimen\shadowamount
+%
+% Macro Body
+%
+\def\shadowbox#1{%
+ \setbox0=\hbox{\strut\shadowbuff#1\shadowbuff}%
+ \shadowboxwd=\wd0%
+ \shadowboxht=\ht0%
+ \advance\shadowboxht by \dp0%
+ \advance\shadowboxht by -\shadowwidth%
+ \advance\shadowboxht by 2\normalwidth%
+ \shadowamount=\shadowwidth%
+ \divide\shadowamount by \accuracy%
+ \vbox{\hbox{\vrule width\normalwidth%
+ \vbox{\hrule height\normalwidth%
+ \hbox to\shadowboxwd{\box0}\hrule height\normalwidth}\vrule%
+ \shadowloop=\accuracy%
+ \hbox{\vbox{%
+ \ifangles
+ \loop%
+ \ifnum\shadowloop>0%
+ \hbox to \shadowwidth{\leaders\hrule height
+ \shadowamount\hfil%
+ \hskip\shadowloop\shadowamount}\nointerlineskip%
+ \advance\shadowloop by -1%
+ \repeat%
+ \else%
+ \vskip \shadowwidth%
+ \fi%
+ \hbox to \shadowwidth{\leaders\hrule height\shadowboxht\hfil}}}%
+ }\nointerlineskip%
+ \advance\shadowboxwd by 2\normalwidth%
+ \shadowloop=0%
+ \hbox{\hbox to \shadowwidth{%
+ \ifangles%
+ \vbox{%
+ \loop%
+ \ifnum\shadowloop<\accuracy%
+ \hbox to \shadowwidth{\hskip\shadowloop\shadowamount%
+ \leaders\hrule height \shadowamount\hfil}\nointerlineskip%
+ \advance\shadowloop by 1%
+ \repeat}%
+ \else%
+ \hfil%
+ \fi}%
+ \hbox to \shadowboxwd{\leaders\hrule height \shadowwidth\hfil}}}}%
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+TeXMaG Volume 4, Issue 2 page 4
+
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+| Reader's Survey |
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+
+PLEASE! We need YOUR help to make TeXMaG the electronic mailer YOU want
+it to be. Help us by editing the (short) survey below with your favorite
+text editor and returning it to the address below.
+
+ Name________________________________________________________________
+ E-mail Address______________________________________________________
+
+Part I.
+
+ What kind of Machine do you run TeX on? (Check all applicable answers)
+ ___ VAX running VMS ___ Unix system
+ ___ IBM running VM/CMS ___ IBM running MVS
+ ___ SUN ___ Apple MacIntosh
+ ___ IBM PC or Clone ___ Amiga
+ ___ Other (Specify)______________
+
+ What type of printer do you use?
+ ___ PostScript ___ HP LaserJet Series //
+ ___ DEC LN03 (or compatible)
+ ___ Xerox 4050/9700 ___ Dot Matrix Printer
+ ___ QMS Laser Printer ___ Other, specify:
+ ______________________________
+
+ Which version of TeX are you currently running?
+ ___ 3.0 ___ 2.9x ___ Other:___ ___ Not sure
+
+
+ Which of the following do you subscribe to/read regularly?
+ ___ TeXHAX (Arpanet mailing list) ___ TUGBoat
+ ___ TeXline ___ Other__________________
+
+
+Part II (The important part.)
+
+ What would you like to see in the coming year in TeXMaG?
+ (check all applicable)
+ ___ Beginning Articles on TeX, LaTeX, etc.
+ ___ Intermediate Articles on TeX, LaTeX, etc.
+ ___ Advanced Macros and Articles for TeX, Latex, etc.
+ ___ Graphics in TeX
+ ___ Articles on installing/upgrading TeX, et al...
+ ___ Reviews of TeX formats/services/utilities...
+ ___ Articles you don't find anywhere else
+ ___ Other __________________________________________________
+ __________________________________________________
+
+The one thing I dislike most about TeXMaG is________________________
+____________________________________________________________________
+____________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________.
+
+The one thing I like the most about TeXMaG is_______________________
+____________________________________________________________________
+____________________________________________________________________
+____________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________.
+
+More than anything, I wish TeXMaG talked more about_________________
+___________________________________________________________________.
+
+I feel I get repeated information in TeXMaG. It isn't anything new.
+ ___Agree ____Disagree.
+
+
+
+Additional Comments:
+___________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________
+___________________________________________________________________
+
+
+Return this survey to NABTEXM@TAMVENUS (that's
+NABTEXM@VENUS.TAMU.EDU to those of you on internet)
+sometime before July 20. We will use this information to help
+point TeXMaG in the right direction. A summary of the results
+will be published in the next issue.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+TeXMaG Volume 4, Issue 2 page 5
+
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+| Bart Childs' Thoughts on TUG |
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+
+Bart Childs, the local host for the recent TeX User's Group
+Annual Conference, was kind enough to post his reflections on
+the classes and meeting. Our thanks goes out to him for his hard
+work and his desire to make the meeting the best it could be.
+
+ ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ Some Reflections on Hosting a Meeting
+
+ (by S. Bart Childs)
+
+
+Let me begin with a few ramblings. Those of you who weren't here
+might be helped by the following annotated capsule of the conference
+and some related activities.
+
+My last conference at Stanford was wonderful and frustrating.
+Each day of the conference we had 1.5 hours for lunch. The TUG
+Board of Directors spent at least 10 minutes (probably more like
+15) walking to lunch, meeting until the line was short, breaking
+and going through the line, eating, meeting, and then allowing
+10 minutes to hurry back to the conference. We lost a valuable
+time to meet with "our constituents." This time we scheduled
+Sunday from noon till five and that was not enough! Next year it
+will probably be scheduled for 8 till 5 and be through at 10:30.
+
+I have heard lots of good reports on the courses before and after
+the conference. This is in spite of the horrible problems I had
+with the equipment. File served PS2s are a logical way to provide
+a lot of TeX with previewers ... to a lot of people. However,
+there are problems. Ours was not transparent! Help files placed
+in /usr/tex/inputs from the unix side of the server were not
+compatible with the PC's TeX. The utilities to convert between
+did not work! There were errors in PATH on systems without hard
+drives...
+
+The actual conference was held on the usual Monday, Tuesday,
+Wednesday schedule. We had a get acquainted "ethnic feast"
+on Sunday night, for a price. About 70 percent of those registered
+paid and were there (I think a few more sneaked in.)
+This started out with snacks from a Mexican Restaurant and
+was to be followed by a wonderful TeXas barbecue. Well,
+when my handwritten instructions were converted to the order,
+the time I left for clean up and be gone got used as the time
+to serve. That was the longest hour and a half in my life.
+We had a polka band from a nearby Czech community for entertainment.
+I invited seven couples from the area to be designated dancers.
+The band had to start before the main course was served.
+They broke while we ate because they got to eat, too.
+We had a ball, even our Executive Director, Ray Goucher,
+did the "Chicken Dance."
+
+Most of the Monday schedule is necessary and boring stuff.
+We had elections, status reports, business meeting, ...
+I am sure that some of the new attendees wondered. We finally
+got to TeX things in the last session of the day. The last
+two days were primarily papers that you would expect at a
+TeX conference.
+
+We had a good set of exhibitors showing some really good TeX
+systems. Really neat gifts were given by TUG and the exhibitors.
+We got key fobs, nard badges, TeX rulers, bought T-shirts, ...
+The worst loss was one vendor's high resolution display was
+damaged in transit and couldn't show his wares.
+
+The conference was held on campus but campus housing was not
+offered because we wanted to gauge the effects of having ONE place
+(a hotel in this case) for everybody. We generally rode back and
+forth in shuttles. The after hours meetings were held in hotel
+facilities.
+
+I had some wonderful helpers and volunteers. The only problem is
+that I should have always finished every conference or agreement
+by putting it in writing and copying everybody. That would have
+avoided the problem like I had with the BBQ.
+
+In retrospect, I thought it was a wonderful conference. We had
+some really good discussions, disagreements, and agreements. I
+guess one of the most telling stories is:
+
+
+ One person saw me standing across the room and was
+ on his way to thank me for the conference. As he
+ walked he thought about what he would say and was
+ going to start it with a compliment about the BBQ
+ and dance. He planned to mention my friends who
+ danced with any willing experimenters. On the way,
+ he heard from another conversation, "it was really
+ a good conference but we sure could do without the
+ dancing and singing."
+
+
+A recommendation to the next local host: if you have any
+continuing local obligations you had better have a good and
+available staff to carry the load for you.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+TeXMaG Volume 4, Issue 2 page 6
+
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+| An Afterthought on Coming Issues |
+*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+
+Like we mentioned earlier, this issue has been abbreviated for various
+reasons. But stay tuned! Next issue promises to have a Tables Macro
+called S-Tables (don't know what the S stands for, yet). It provides
+multi-row, multi-column, variant-width ruled tables (by variant I
+mean you can *easily* set the width of rules throughout the table).
+In addition, it provides for easy paragraph insertion into a table
+which again can span multiple columns and rows. Full documentation
+will be provided.
+
+We also will have survey results, and you can be sure to see TeXMaG
+grow to fit the interests of the general reader as best as we can.
+
+Feel free to submit articles you feel would be a general help to the
+TeX community. We are at present accepting articles on all aspects of
+TeX, MetaFont, etc. Macros and style files are always helpful, too.
+
+-ed.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+TeXMaG is an independently published electronic magazine available
+free of charge to all interested parties reachable by electronic
+mail. It is published monthly. Letters to the editor may be sent to
+NABTEXM@TAMVENUS (BITNet) or NABTEXM@VENUS.TAMU.EDU (Internet) and
+may be published in a future issue.
+
+ Publisher: Academic Computing Services of
+ Texas A&M University
+
+ Managing Editor: Neil Burleson
+ TeX Editor: Robert Nilsson
+ LaTeX Editor: Saad Mir
+ Graphics/TeX Editor Stewart Robinson
+ Copy Editor: Diana Armstrong
+
+ Chief Consultant: John McClain, Ph.D
+
+
+ SUBSCRIPTIONS:
+ CDNnet: Send a note to <list-request@relay.cdnnet.ca> asking to receive
+ TeXMaG.
+ JANET: Send a note to Peter Abbott, <Abbottp@Uk.Ac.Aston> asking to
+ receive TeXMaG.
+ All others: Send the following command as an interactive message
+ (Bitnet) or as a single-line mail message to LISTSERV@UICVM
+ or LISTSERV@UICVM.UIC.EDU:
+ SUBS TEXMAG-L Your_Full_Name.
+ If you have difficulty doing this, send a note to Neil Burleson
+ <NABTEXM@VENUS.TAMU.EDU>.
+
+ SUBMISSIONS:
+ Please send submissions to <TEXMAG-L@UICVM.UIC.EDU> or
+ <TEXMAG-L@UICVM>; they will automatically be forwarded to the
+ editor.
+
+ BACK ISSUES:
+ Back issues may be FTP'd from YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU from the directory
+ [ANONYMOUS.TEX.PERIODICALS.TEXMAG]
+
+ Back issues may also be FTP'd from SUN.SOE.CLARKSON.EDU from the
+ directory pub/texmag. Users without FTP access may request back
+ issues from the Clarkson repository by sending a mail message
+ to <archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> with the form
+ path A_MAIL_PATH_FROM_CLARKSON_TO_YOU
+ get texmag texmag.V.NN
+ where V is the volume number and NN is the issue number. Including
+ a line "index texmag" in the message will return a list of back
+ issues available.
+
+ Back issues may also be FTP's from SCIENCE.UTAH.EDU from the file
+ BBD:TEXMAG.TXT.
+
+ Janet users may obtain back issues from the Aston archive.
+ DECNET/SPAN users may obtain them from the Decnet repository (see
+ below).
+
+
+\bye bye!
+% End of TeXMaG
+%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%