[Groff] A new typesetting/document processing macro package

[Peter Schaffter]

Hi.

For some time now, I've been working on a from-scratch macro package
for groff based on a personal library of macros written over the years.
The package is called "mom" (because it's invoked "groff -mom ..."),
and I'm pleased to announce her initial beta release, available at

    http://www.ncf.ca/~df191/mom.html

Mom has an unusual, two-part design mandate: to provide typesetters
familiar with older, dedicated phototypesetting systems (Compugraphics,
Linotronics, etc) a set of typographically intuitive macros that
imitate the feel and logic of those systems, and to give writers a set
of document processing macros that are easy-to-use, easy-to-interpret
and fully user-designable.

Mom does not try to be all things to all people.  She's designed
primarily to produce goodlooking PostScript for output on a
run-of-the-mill desktop printer.  Furthermore, "writers," above,
should be taken to mean novelists, short story writers, journalists
and students, not mathematicians, scientists, or authors of heavily
indexed, annotated reports.

Mom comes with very complete documentation, reflecting my belief
that good docs are part of good programming, or, in this case,
macro writing.  Too often, obtaining -- or making sense of -- the
documentation for groff's traditional macro sets alienates potential
users.  Mom's manual, written in html, takes nothing for granted and
is cross-referenced with hundreds of links.  It is my sincere hope
that the documentation will encourage newcomers to groff and thereby
promote a more widespread use of the program generally.

I need help testing and debugging mom.  I run a Debian part-potato,
part-woody GNU/Linux box with a 2.2.15 kernel and groff version 1.17.2
hooked up to a miserably slow HP DeskJet 694C printer.  The initial
release of mom works fine with this configuration, but I need to know
how she performs elsewhere.  If anyone has the time and inclination,
please give mom a try, and let me know what goes wrong and what
goes right.  All comments, bug reports, criticisms and suggestions
are welcome.

-- 
PTPi
Peter Schaffter
31, Curé-André-Préseault
Appt. 22
Gatineau (Québec)
CANADA  J8T 6E4

A confirmed GNU/Linuxer. Sorry, I don't do Windows.