X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1784" "Thu" "1" "October" "92" "13:12:37" "+0100" "rolf.lindgren@USIT.UIO.NO" "rolf.lindgren@USIT.UIO.NO" nil "38" "Re: picture mode in LaTeX3/additional fonts in distribution" "^Date:" nil nil "10"]) Return-Path: Received: from sc.ZIB-Berlin.DE (serv01) by dagobert.ZIB-Berlin.DE (4.1/SMI-4.0/1.9.92 ) id AA04864; Thu, 1 Oct 92 13:18:12 +0100 Received: from vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de (vm.hd-net.uni-heidelberg.de) by sc.ZIB-Berlin.DE (4.0/SMI-4.0-sc/19.6.92) id AA22312; Thu, 1 Oct 92 13:17:38 +0100 Message-Id: <9210011217.AA22312@sc.zib-berlin.dbp.de> Received: from DHDURZ1 by vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 6897; Thu, 01 Oct 92 13:18:17 CET Received: from DHDURZ1 by DHDURZ1 (Mailer R2.08 R208004) with BSMTP id 6882; Thu, 01 Oct 92 13:18:14 CET Received: from DHDURZ1 by DHDURZ1 (Mailer R2.08 R208004) with BSMTP id 6880; Thu, 01 Oct 92 13:18:10 CET Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 13:12:37 +0100 From: rolf.lindgren@USIT.UIO.NO Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project To: Multiple recipients of Subject: Re: picture mode in LaTeX3/additional fonts in distribution Status: R X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 805 > Frank Mittelbach writes: > > Leslie and I spoke about the picture environment just last week when he > visited me. We think that LaTeX3 should support a much richer picture > environment which is based on interacting with PostScript via a > suitable set of specials. We will also approach driver developers to > support those specials for other output devices. But there will also > be an implementation of the LaTeX3 graphic primitives that solemnly > uses portable fonts. This means that, for example, an arbitray line > may come out slightly distorted when this option is in force (just > like in the current epic.sty) but this is better then nothing. > From my experience with _users_, i.e. people who do not understand computers but use them anyway, I can foresee that if _anything_, _anything at all_, in LaTeX becomes associated with PostScript, then the _users_ will conclude that they can't run LaTeX if they haven't got PostScript. Most users do not have PostScript. I do believe most LaTeX users are just that - users. Any good graphics environment for LaTeX 3 that requires PostScript should be welcomed, desired and wanted, but _not_ as part of the standard LaTeX distribution. If a user sets up LaTeX, tries to run a few files through it, and his printer bombs because he doesn't use a PostScript printer, then he will not look in the manual and find that he should have used the no-PostScript option. What he will do, is get mad and tell all his friends that LaTeX 3 requires PostScript. Prove me wrong. Rolf Lindgren | "The opinions expressed above are 616 Bjerke Studentheim | not necessarily those of anyone" N-0589 OSLO 5 | rolfl.lindgren@usit.uio.no