3.1168 VuWriter; Amiga (70)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca)
Tue, 13 Mar 90 23:37:34 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 1168. Tuesday, 13 Mar 1990.
(1) Date: Tue, 13 Mar 90 08:38:00 EST (35 lines)
From: DEL2@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk
Subject: Re: [3.1132 Hellenologophiles? (97)]
(2) Date: Mon, 12 Mar 90 23:03:20 CST (14 lines)
From: GR4302@SIUCVMB
Subject: Goerwitz's font problems
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 90 08:38:00 EST
From: DEL2@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk
Subject: Re: [3.1132 Hellenologophiles? (97)]
In response to Gordon Neal's request about VUWRITER, and other
discussions about foreign languages (eg Jim O'Donnell).
My own feeling is that by far the most important thing is the
quality of printer output available. At least in the middle-term,
that is how we shall be communicating with the wider world. I
wonder whether anything less flexible than PostScript and a
high-quality laser (or phototypesetter) is going to do.
As far as the screen is concerned, I have a major problem in that I
use a number of very different machines, the most useful of which
is the Cambridge Z88 (which I can take into a library and SILENTLY
fill with material). There is no way I could get European accents,
let alone Greek, Arabic, &c, into that. So my compromise is to
let screen fonts go, and use simple if inelegant transliterations
(e< for e-acute, &c). A maximum of four keystrokes (for really
awkward things like greek-omega-with-rough-breathing-and-flex-and-iota-sub)
for any character. It's then pretty trivial to write a converter to
suit whatever text processor I happen to be using. Far easier
than trying to memorise five different sets of conventions for five
different packages on five different machines; and the results are 100%
portable.
The epigraphic conventions are slightly troublesome, but again can
be easily accommodated. I can get cheap line-printer output for
proofing, then decide at the very latest stage what fonts to use
before producing the camera-ready material for the press.
I'd be interested in comments on this approach.
Douglas de Lacey <DEL2@UK.AC.CAM.PHX>
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------22----
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 90 23:03:20 CST
From: GR4302@SIUCVMB
Subject: Goerwitz's font problems
Anyone upset at Mac's prices and other problems that needs access to
special fonts should check out the AMIGA. No, it's not the perfect
machine, but it's one of the best performance for dollars deals in the
industry. I believe the AMIGA comes with the largest character set
available (including Icelandic characters, which is very good for Old
English folks). It's a powerful and easy machine to use (and it can now
run Unix V.4). It does not have the software base that Mac enjoys, but
that is changing rapidly (with over one million machines out there it's
bound too). You can, however, emulate the Mac on an Amiga for around
$500. Well, enough of my soapbox...
Jeff T. gr4302@siucvmb