newsletr v01-016 22-Jan-2004

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+                 NEWSLETR - A newsletter format for Plain TeX
+                                Hunter Goatley
+                               January 22, 2004
+
+%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
+% Copyright 1989--2004 by Hunter Goatley.
+%
+% Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose
+% on any computer system, and to redistribute it freely, subject to the
+% following restrictions:
+%
+% 1. This software is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+%    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+%    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+%
+% 2. Altered versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be
+%    misrepresented as being the original software.
+%
+% End
+%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
+
+NEWSLETR is a file of plain TeX macros that I wrote to publish a printed
+newsletter about author Robert McCammon. Most of the macros are original,
+but some came from _The TeXbook_ and other sources; most of these have been
+either rewritten or modified.  The following files should be found here (and
+the names are short for people using MS-DOS):
+
+        READ.ME         This file
+        NEWSLETR.TEX    The newsletter format
+        NEWSLETR.TXT    List of commands in newsletter format
+        NEWSSAMP.TEX    Sample newsletter file
+        LODRIVER.TEX    Sample newsletter driver (part of a real newsletter)
+        LOSAMPLE.TEX    Sample newsletter title page, articles, etc.
+
+The format is for plain TeX, not LaTeX---real TeXies don't use LaTeX! 8-)
+Seriously, I developed my newsletter format because LaTeX wasn't flexible
+enough for the stuff I wanted to do---namely multiple columns (1--6 columns),
+switching columns on the same page, and including figures.
+
+When you see it, some of the stuff will look kludged---but it sounds like
+what some of you are using now was kludged, so it shouldn't be much worse!
+
+Because the format file (NEWSLETR.TEX) is pretty big, I'd suggest that you
+create a new TeX format file that contains it.  Under VMS using DECUS TeX,
+the command would be:
+
+        $ TEX/INIT/NOFORMAT "&plain \input newsletr \dump"
+        $ TEX/FORMAT=newsletr
+
+NEWSLETR is set up so that it can be used as an extended plain TeX (you have
+access to the macros, with all of TeX's default settings).  When building
+a newsletter, you can execute \newspage to use pages that are a little taller
+and wider (7" x 9") and to change some of TeX's penalties, etc.
+
+Finally, I would like to point out a couple of features that I think would be
+useful for anybody who uses TeX for any reason.  I've extracted these two
+pieces into separate files so that you can easily include them in other
+documents.
+
+As you all know, TeX requires that you use `` and '' instead of " to get
+proper double-quotes.  I have written a macro that will let the double-quote
+character (") work like `` and ''.  It assumes that they come in pairs, except
+that a " as the first character of a paragraph is treated as ``.  To enable
+the double-quote recognition, simply add \begindoublequotes to your file.
+(You can disable it using \enddoublequotes.)  Proper spacing after '' is
+maintained.  (QUOTE.TEX)
+
+I've also included macros \ital and \slant for typesetting text in the
+italic (\it) and slanted (\sl) fonts, respectively.  A lot of people don't
+seem to know about---or forget to use---the italic correction (\/) when
+switching among fonts.  The \ital and \slant macros look at the next character
+following the parameter and add the italic correction unless the next character
+is a period or a comma, as recommended on page 14 of _The TeXbook_.  Using
+these macros, you should never need to type \/ again.  (ITALIC.TEX)
+
+I would appreciate being kept informed of bug fixes or improvements you make to
+the file.  I can't promise support, but I use these macros too, and I'm willing
+to help whenever/wherever I can.
+
+Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome.
+
+Hunter
+------
+Hunter Goatley, Process Software, http://www.process.com/
+<goathunter@GOATLEY.COM>     http://www.goatley.com/hunter/