Re: Learning troff - where to start?

[Larry McVoy]

So one thing I use a lot is something I got James to add to pic, the
`i'th last thing.   Here is some actual pic source where I used that:

        for i = 1 to units by 1 do {
                line <-> dashed from `i'th [].C.s - (.10, 0) to \
                    last box.nw + (i/(units+1)*w, 0)
        }

As you may know, you can place stuff relative to a previous thing.
I had a need for being able to place a list of things, place another
list of things and draw lines between the two lists.  Pictures are
worth a thousand words, the .pdf here is done via the .pic here.
You change the units variable and it will draw more or less.

http://mcvoy.com/lm/pic

For differences between troff and groff

        man groff_diff

There are differences in there that are a distinct improvement on the
original troff, I use them.  Groff is a better troff.

On Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 10:36:45AM +1100, Damian McGuckin wrote:
> On Wed, 14 Oct 2020, Greg 'groggy' Lehey wrote:
> 
> >An excellent book, and one that I have used a lot.  But nobody can claim
> >that it's up-to-date (it predates groff), and there are many features in
> >groff that weren't in the troff version described.  Isn't it sad that
> >nothing more modern is available?
> 
> How many people use features of 'groff' that are not in 'troff'?
> 
> We use groff with MM for half our corporate reports, i.e. those that are not
> mandated as Word, and all our (computer generated) invoices and P/Os, and we
> use no groff specific features as far as I know. And have for 30+ years.
> 
> Regards - Damian
> 
> Pacific Engineering Systems International, 277-279 Broadway, Glebe NSW 2037
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-- 
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Larry McVoy                  lm at mcvoy.com             
http://www.mcvoy.com/lm