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diff --git a/dviware/beebe/utils/wsltex.let b/dviware/beebe/utils/wsltex.let new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..189afc4d56 --- /dev/null +++ b/dviware/beebe/utils/wsltex.let @@ -0,0 +1,72 @@ +12-Oct-85 17:47:22-MDT,00000003019;000000000001 +Date: 12 Oct 1985 1747-MDT +From: Beebe (Nelson H.F. Beebe) +Subject: [Beebe (Nelson H.F. Beebe): WordStar to LaTeX translation] +To: op.hendry, fh.harris +cc: BEEBE + +2 + --------------- + +Date: 11 Oct 1985 1804-MDT +From: Beebe (Nelson H.F. Beebe) +Subject: WordStar to LaTeX translation +To: C-GRISS, CH.JM.DOWNING, FH.HARRIS, MA.PETERSEN, OP.BOWMAN, OP.DUNCAN, +To: OP.HENDRY, OP.LICHTY, OP.WILLETT, VI.FULLERTON, GU.KILLIAN +cc: BEEBE, MA.HOPPENSTEADT, CH.JM.KLING, BI.PARKINSON, bi.kofOID, CH.MAYNE, +cc: vi.leaver, ma.othmer + +I completed today a pair of programs for assisting in the +conversion of files from WordStar (a popular microcomputer +word processor) to LaTeX. The subject manuscript was Pete +Conwell's Ph.D. thesis, which Ed Leaver is going to massage +further into a form that LaTeX will accept. + +WordStar file format makes extensive use of the high-order +bit of 8-bit ASCII characters to flag "hard" and "soft" line +breaks, underlining, subscripting, superscripting, +boldfacing, etc. The exact sequences to do this are +described in a document which the authors of WordStar market +for $500; needless to say, I did not buy it, but just +reverse engineered the job. + +The WordStar file was KERMITed to the DEC-20 from an IBM PC +by issuing SET FILE 8-BIT then SERVER to KERMIT-20, followed +by a normal KERMIT-PC SEND command. + +Both programs are in the directory APS:<BEEBE.UTILITY>. + +The first of them, WS87.PAS, can be used to copy any 8-bit +file to a 7-bit file, turning all characters in the range +128 .. 255 into printable \nnn octal escape sequences. This +allows examination of the WordStar file on the DEC-20, and +could be used for other 8-bit files as well. + +The second, WSLTEX, is a 535-line workhorse which identifies +all the WordStar magic sequences used in Pete's thesis and +turns them into appropriate LaTeX commands. It would be +straightforward to modify WSLTEX now for any other document +formatter, and if necessary, to recognize other WordStar +sequences not used in the thesis. + +Conversion time was 19 sec on the DEC-20 for 6000 lines of +WordStar input. + +WordStar is not a well-designed formatter, in that it does +not consistently identify document features. In particular, +double spacing actually appears verbatim (and is converted +to single spacing by WSLTEX, except at paragraph +boundaries), and centered text (as in chapter titles) is +just centered without any identification. Consequently, an +editing session is still necessary to take the output of +WSLTEX and convert it into true LaTeX input. The important +thing is that every special feature in the input WordStar +document is preserved, something which is not possible if +the 8-th bit is just lopped off. + +Help yourselves. Extensions, modifications, and bug reports +are welcome. It's all public domain, so don't sell it! +------- + ======== +------- + ======== |