Re: [groff] address@hidden: Bug#919890: groff-base: Incorrect page numbers position when exporting BSD-style (mdoc) documents to other formats (ps, etc)]

[Ralph Corderoy]

Hi Ingo,

> > but much the same problem exists; page numbers are printed on the
> > left of odd-numbered pages and on the right of even-numbered pages,
>
> Isn't that what one would most often want?  When somebody prints a
> manual page putting two virtual pages side-by-side on each sheet in
> landscape orientation, then page 1 ends up on the left side and page 2
> on the right side of the first sheet, so the odd numbers should be on
> the left, as indeed they are.

No, that's wrong.  Firstly, you're assuming virtual.  Plenty of paper is
used to print a man page double-sided in companies I've worked in by
those that want to thumb, scribble, share, and joint-review.  Page 3
should be on the right-hand side.

And if viewing a document `two up', I would expect the first row to have
a blank left-hand page as otherwise the whole balance of the left-right
paring in the end printing can't be judged.

    ␣ 1
    2 3
    4 5
    6 ␣

> However, the command
>
>   groff -man -rD1 -Tps ssh_config.5
>
> Does not produce any document that could be printed as a book or
> journal; in particular, it generates no title page, and the main text
> starts right on page 1.

That's because it isn't a book or a journal!
There are plenty of printed documents that are neither, ranging from one
page upwards, and they have nor want a title page, they start on page 1,
and that's the right-hand page.

-- 
Cheers, Ralph.