Re: "Writing my PhD using groff"

[G. Branden Robinson]

At 2022-07-24T15:45:46+0000, DJ Chase wrote:
> On Sun Jul 24, 2022 at 8:06 AM EDT, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> > At 2022-07-24T03:17:44+0000, DJ Chase wrote:
> > > I’ve never read the Texinfo manual; I learned *roff through Unix
> > > For People,[1] then various online materials maybe half a year
> > > ago. The turn-off for me was how cryptic all of the troff examples
> > > (from any source) I saw were, and how it felt like I was always
> > > fighting the typesetter to get it to do even basic things.
> >
> > As someone who's done a lot of work on the Texinfo manual (and other
> > groff documentation) over the past 5 years, that is disappointing to
> > hear.
> 
> I just read some of it. I wish I read it when it felt like I was
> fighting with the typesetter — it’s very helpful.

I should correct myself.  I've only been hacking on our Texinfo manual
for about 4 years, so if you're looking at the one from groff 1.22.4, I
deserve no credit for any helpful material you find there.  (There was
already an immense amount!)

> It seems that the document you attached is your GPG key in PDF form.
> Could you try resending it, or if the issue is appears to be on my end,
> sending a link to it?

I believe there were _two_ attachments to the mail, or should have been,
but no matter.  How about I make life easier for everyone?

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/17ftu3z31couf07/AAC_9kq0ZA-Ra2ZhmZFWlLuva?dl=0

The above link goes to a folder where you can find the 9 PDF files I
regenerate frequently as part of my development work on groff.  Save
anything you're interested in immediately; I have to replace the files
often to keep myself under the storage limit.  (Nothing there is
truly precious; the groff Git repository houses the source forms.  The
documents are generated from my personal working tree which differs
little if at all, depending on what I'm hacking on.  I push regularly.)

Apropos of our conversation, I recommend the 'ms.2022-07-24.pdf'
document, and 'groff.2022-07-24.pdf', specifically the beginning of
chapter 5, "gtroff Reference".

The other 7 files of course may also be of interest.  (Warning: perusal
of the ChangeLog document may require consumption of illegal stimulants
to maintain wakefulness.)

> Good luck; It’s out of print and physical copies are very hard to
> come by.

That's a shame.  Guess I should move it up the priority queue and read
the IA version while I can, and take external notes.

Regards,
Branden

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