Re: [Groff] initi in mm

[Erich Hoffmann]

Hello Ralph, hello Joergen,


Thanks a lot for your kind help.  I had some things to cope with, so
please excuse my answering so late.

>> .INITI file_base
>> .H 1 "My Title"
>> .INITR file_base
[snip]
>Although groff_mm(7) suggests INITI's type parameter is optional by
>saying the default is `N' the code looks to require it, as does the man
[snip]
>If you are using a newer version of mgm you'll have to process your
>file with mmroff instead of groff. I changed

I think that was it.  My debian potato 2.2 is very smooth to handle, but
the distribution seems to be a bit old and I should update.  The SuSe
8.0 I try (having some G free to make experiments) has a new groff
distribution, but it seems to lack a groff_mm manpage, so I was
wondering why the INITI didn't work under SuSe - until I tried mmgroff
and the N option.  This I could do only after your advice, and that
again is the explanation of my bizarre home-made patching of the
mm-macro-code before.  I won't do that again.

Please notice that I'm not complaining at all and I don't want to report
problems against a version or groff itself.  No one is responsible for
my incapabilities but myself,  I'm just trying to find a way.  The groff
documentation seems very terse, and books are difficult to acquire here
in Germany, (La)TeX guides on the contrary are standing on each and
every software bookshelf.  I agree to the chapter on *roff in the ``Unix
Power Tools'' stating that the Latex syntax is really ugly in
comparison: this exactly is the reason why I'm experimenting with groff,
the source code of a text being so easily written and read (with syntax
highlighting in VIM).  Well I'll see, perhaps groff is just too
difficult for me and I should stick to Latex, being only a day-labourer
in this vineyard.


Thanks a lot,
and best,

erich.