From: mschulter AT DOT value DOT net (M. Schulter) Newsgroups: comp.text.tex,comp.os.msdos.djgpp Subject: Re: DJGPP port of TeX (with instructions for non-DJGPP'ers) (Was Re: Win95 and LaTex ?) Followup-To: comp.text.tex,comp.os.msdos.djgpp Date: 10 Jul 1997 21:50:24 GMT Organization: Value Net Internetwork Services Inc. Lines: 57 Message-ID: <5q3lf0$5ga$1@vnetnews.value.net> References: <5p64rj$dsu$2 AT news DOT ccit DOT arizona DOT edu> <33C1AF28 DOT 7D16F020 AT a DOT crl DOT com> <5pu7kl$3dl$1 AT vision DOT crest DOT nt DOT com> NNTP-Posting-Host: value.net To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Precedence: bulk : On 8 Jul 1997, Kaz Kylheku wrote: : > Why do people do TeX/LaTeX with Windows 95? Or, more precisely, why : > would a TeXpert bother with windows? You are one step away from not : > needing a GUI at all if you can typeset with these tools, so it's not : > like you need to run Word! :) Hi, there. To what others have written in reply, I would add two observations. First of all, Eli's port gives a new option for quality TeX to those of us who do in fact program and do typesetting and graphic design in DOS rather than Windows. It means access to a great text-based editing environment (GNU Emacs 19.3x for DOS) and a host of supporting 32-bit applications with a "tried and true" record of performance among the most discerning UNIX users. In fact, someone has quipped that GNU might do well to make DJGPP the basis for its HURD OS . Those of us who do use a command line environment such as MS-DOS 6.22 -- which I seem to recall is also DJ's setup -- are the special beneficiaries of the DJGPP effort. I've admired TeX for nine years as a desktop publisher and PostScript programmer -- but it was the DJGPP port that got me actually reading _The TeXBook_ and learning this great typesetting system. At the same time, I'd like to emphasize that users of GUI environments have made immense contributions to computing, and to TeX. Consider, for example, the NeXT environment -- not to mention various flavors of X-Windows and the like, as well as pioneering typesetting programs on the Mac (e.g. JustType and various TeX implementation). If the power and quality of TeX becomes more available in the popular Windows 3.x/9x/NT environments, so much the better for people who use these environments. DJ and the team have gone to great efforts in order to support both 8.3 DOS file systems and the new lfn options in Win 95. This second point is especially important to me as the user of a command-line system, and now a member of a rather small minority. It's very important that we respect the diversity of interfaces, and also the diversity of users. True confession: I've used WordPerfect 5.0 as my main typesetting application. It may not be TeX, but it has precise mathematical controls, and is still a great 16-bit legacy application that fits in well with the DJGPP world. Learning TeX doesn't mean that I have to give up other alternatives which may be the right tools for lots of documents. Anyway, DJGPP TeX is a great breakthrough for GUI and command line users alike. Most respectfully, Margo Schulter mschulter AT value DOT net (To reply, please remove the extra . from my default e-mail address)