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diff --git a/info/digests/texline/no8/resolution.tex b/info/digests/texline/no8/resolution.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..163e5acd61 --- /dev/null +++ b/info/digests/texline/no8/resolution.tex @@ -0,0 +1,122 @@ +\centerline{\bf Resolution} +\smallskip +\noindent +You may notice a few things about this edition +of \TeXline{}. There are the obvious things like lateness +and bulk, but also a few more which are less apparent. +Right at the masthead \TeXline\ is now subtitled `a +newsletter of the \TeX\ community'. It used to be `the +newsletter of \TeX\ users in the UK and Ireland'. There +are a couple of reasons for doing this, which reflect +some changes in my view of the \TeX\ world. When it +started, the intention of the newsletter was to try to +provide a connection between people who came in contact +with \TeX\ (and \LaTeX\ and \MF\dots). They didn't even +need to exhibit missionary zeal. The common ingredient was +\TeX{}. +A large proportion of the +growth in the list was from outside the UK and Ireland. +With this issue, I have included all the participants to +\TeX88. It seems inappropriate to make it appear that +\TeXline\ is directed only to the European offshore +islands. + +I've never liked to be called a `user'. It has slightly +perjorative associations. Much nicer to be part of a +community than to be a user. But what about the +\TeX\ bit? Is `\TeX' a sufficiently generic term that the +\MF\ eccentrics, the \LaTeX\ hordes, and the lone \AmSTeX +er don't feel slighted? Come up with a better term and +I'll use it. + +Having said all that, the newsletter cannot be `the' +newsletter, it has to be `a'. I would be delighted to see +others. The +French group `GUTenberg' ({\it Groupe (francophone) des +Utilisateurs de \TeX\/}) are producing their +journal-like {\it Cahiers de GUTenberg\/}, and it would be +surprising if other national groupings, like the Germans +or Dutch didn't do something similar too. + +When you look at the contents of this edition, you will +notice that the sources of several articles are from +outside the British Isles: in particular, the article +from Janusz Bie\'n on Polish \TeX\ illustrates some of +the problems that are encountered in employing \TeX{}. +Larry Siebenman's article was presented at a GUTenberg +meeting last April (and will be published elsewhere in +French), the originals of \DW's article were published in +\TUGboat, and we have an account of \TeX88 and the TUG +meeting from Barbara Beeton, which will also have +appeared in \TUGboat{}. My own `Odd types' review +appears in the BCS-EP newsletter. +It is not my plan that \TeXline\ will merely plagiarise +other material. But I hope that by +showing material which has its origin in \TUGboat, +people will be encouraged to join TUG. + +Another item to note is a new email address. I have +eventually tired of having mail bounced through the Kent +\unix\ Gateway. To ensure contact with non \Janet\ +networks this new address, |mwc@doc.ic.ac.uk| is probably +preferred. + +\vfill +\bigskip +\centerline{\bf Parochial matters} \smallskip +\noindent +Last year saw the first meeting in the UK of a local +\TeX\ grouping. Perhaps just as GUTenberg produced their +first {\it Cahiers} as `num\'ero z\'ero', this should be +described as the zero-eth meeting. Two accounts of the +meeting appear in the newsletter. Everyone in the UK who +receives \TeXline\ will receive details of the next +meeting, which will be held in London (either at the +London School of Economics or at Imperial College) in early +March. The program will be arranged on the theme of +`Pictures in \TeX'. Part of the meeting will be given +over to making some concrete proposals for the formation +and organisation of a \TeX\ group. I would hope that by +organising a group like this, it would not +inhibit smaller, regional groupings. It is obviously +difficult to arrange any meetings which are truly +`national'. But there are `pockets' of people who might +find it useful to get together. I will be pleased to make +the \TeXline\ mailing list available to anyone who wants +to find out who else there is in their own area who talks +\TeX{}. + +\vfill +\bigskip +\font\palb=palatinob at 9pt +\font\pal=palatino at 9pt +\centerline{\palb \TeX puter} +\smallskip +\noindent +{\pal \TeX puter} is a super seedy implementation of +\TeX{}. It differs from other implementations only in +speed. Typically taking less than one second for each +typeset page it is roughly five times faster than a +similar implementation of \TeX\ on an {\sc ibm} pc/AT +compatible. + +{\pal \TeX puter} is available for the following +transputer based systems: +\item{$\bullet$}the Meiko Computing Surface +\item{$\bullet$}the Cesius Scientific Accelerator +\item{$\bullet$}any system running the Helios operating +system +\item{$\bullet$}B004 compatible {\sc ibm} pc add-on +boards. +\smallskip +Development is continuing on two more \TeX\ products +which will produce similar stunning advances: +\item{$\bullet$}{\pal ps\TeX}: a version of \TeX\ which +generates \PS\ code instead of \dvi\ files: +\item{$\bullet$} {\pal ps$^{\bf 2}$\TeX}: a parallel +processing version of \TeX{}. This will be fast enough to +allow (almost) instantaneous previewing of ammended pages. +\smallskip +\rightline{\sl Bill Noble} + + |