5.0491 Rs: Fonts; Quote; Hypertext Software (3/94)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Mon, 2 Dec 1991 16:02:38 EST

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0491. Monday, 2 Dec 1991.


(1) Date: Sat, 30 Nov 91 12:40:47 PST (50 lines)
From: abosse@reed.edu
Subject: Bits & Bytes Review, Transcribe & Paradigma

(2) Date: Fri, 29 Nov 91 15:40:29 -0800 (23 lines)
From: tshannon@garnet.berkeley.edu
Subject: Re: 5.0485 More Rs: Charles I Quote

(3) Date: Wed, 27 Nov 91 20:36:52 -0500 (21 lines)
From: jdg@oz.plymouth.edu (Dr. Joel Goldfield)
Subject: Hypertext system

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 30 Nov 91 12:40:47 PST
From: abosse@reed.edu
Subject: Bits & Bytes Review, Transcribe & Paradigma

I apologize if this is something that has been mentioned before, but
I just discovered a resource (an academic computer journal) and some
software (Transcribe & Paradigma) which may be of some interest to
this group.

I had been struggling in the last few weeks searching for Mac fonts
with suitable diacritics (or a means of easily converting/modifying
postscript fonts), and then with the added headache of converting
these special fonts to DOS...

A U.S. academic computer review journal called Bits & Bytes Review
(BITNET: XB.J24@Stanford; Phone: 406-862-7280, FAX: 406-862-1124, 623
Iowa Avenue, Whitefish, MT 59937, USA) evaluates several software
packages that approached these issues in a variety of ways. The
reviews were succint, informative and what was most impressive,
written for and by academic users. Most impressive. I was looking at
B&B Vol. 2, Num. 6-7, Summer 1991.

What I learned...

I was aware that Fontograher (Altsys) let you modify/create postscipt
fonts (Type 1 or 3), but I had no idea that it could also save these
in bitmap, MS-DOS, EPS and BDF formats! (The later lets you use them
on, say, a NeXT). A companion program, called Metamorphosis
Professional has an even wider array of conversion options (but it is
limited to conversions...you cannot use it to modify/create fonts).


A review of two utilities for transforming text on the Mac (say, a
Word file). This review was the clincher. The two programs discussed,
Paradigma and Transcribe, promise to perform complicated, global
(even recursive) changes on a text (everything from stripping
character returns to reversing the order of letters in a word, to
replacing one ascii code set with another....) and best of all, they
are both FREE. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try them out
myself, but you can bet I will. If these perform as 'reviewed' they
will be a godsend. They are available from: Paradigma,
PRussell@Oberlin (Bitnet) and Transcribe, Treat@PennDRLS (Bitnet).

In addition, an excellent article on Non-Latin Optical Character
Recognition, with reviews of various new and forthcoming products
(the commercial products were all DOS based).

Arno Bosse
Reed College, Portland, OR 97202
abosse@reed.edu
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------36----
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 91 15:40:29 -0800
From: tshannon@garnet.berkeley.edu
Subject: Re: 5.0485 More Rs: Charles I Quote (4/76)

Concerning the quote about the use of various languages with different
interlocutors attributed by Hoke Robinson to Frederick the Great, I am
not familiar with that claim. However, histories of the German language
frequently point out Frederick's love of French, as shown by Voltaire's
stay at his court and his use of the language which prompoted the French
philosopher to write in a letter to Marquirs de Thibouville (1750): "Je
me trouve ici en France. On ne parle que notre langue. L'allemand est
pour les soldats et pour les chevaux; il n'est necessaire que pour la
route." The quote, together with a brief introductory discussion, can be
found e.g. in R.E. Keller, _The German Language_, p. 486f.; C.J. Wells,
_German: A Linguistic History to 1945, p. 268; and Adolph Bach, _Geschichte
der deutschen Sprache_, p. 313.

I'd be interested to know whether this quote is the one intended or whether
Frederick also made the statement attributed to him. Any experts out there
know for sure?

tom shannon
german department, uc berkeley
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------31----
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 91 20:36:52 -0500
From: jdg@oz.plymouth.edu (Dr. Joel Goldfield)
Subject: Hypertext system

I agree with recent recommendations made to Christian Koch
by three knowledgeable colleagues. One additional package I'm testing out now
that looks very good is Ntergaid's DOS-based _Hyperwriter_. Address:
Ntergaid, Inc., 2490 Black Rock Tpke., Suite 337, Fairfield, CT 06430.
Tel. 203-368-0632.

_Hyperwriter_ received the Editor's Choice in _PC Magazine_ over 8
other hypertext products (see 5/28/91 issue). Ntergaid does a little
"nickel & diming" regarding evaluation copies, demo versions, etc., but
the product looks worthwhile.

Regards,
Joel D. Goldfield
Dept. of Foreign Languages
Plymouth State College/Univ. System of NH;
Inst. for Academic Technology/UNC-Chapel Hill;
Assistant Editor, _Computers and the Humanities_