Re: PostScript?

Subject: Re: PostScript?
From: apharris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Adam P. Harris)
Date: 26 Aug 1998 13:51:41 -0400
Dr. Markus Hönicka <Hoenicka@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> Jean-Baptiste wrote:
> >>	I saw nowhere mention of a PostScript back-end for Jade.. Is
> there one?
> I saw on James Clark's Jade web page that he would like to see a PDF
> backend, why PDF
> rather than PostScript? Anyway if we have one, we pretty much have the
> other, since there
> are (if i am not mistaken) converter PS->PDF and PDF->PS..<<

Well, PDF is kinda sort PS level 3.  I think PDF -> PS (level 2) ->
PDF would by lossy, since PDF has some features not in PS level 2 if I
remember correctly.

The best would be to use PS level 3, from which you could make PS
level 2 and PDF of any version, I'm sure.  I don't know if GhostScript
does PS level 3 though.

> Well, I have some difficulties to understand why we should want this
> all. Currently I use Jade->Jadetex->dvips to create PS output, and yes,
> there are converters to get this into PDF. But having a PDF or PS
> backend means AFAIK to bypass the excellent formatting capabilities of
> TeX. PS does not format a document, but it rather describes a formatted
> document, so you have to have one in the first place. The same holds
> true for PDF, or am I completely wrong here?

I think theoretically you have a point, but 

  (a) jadetex/TeX is not something that most Win32 users will already
have installed (not a big deal)

  (b) IMHO the jadetex output blows.  Compare the formatting with the
RTF backend.  There are so many glitches in the jadetex backend I've
taken to doing HTML w/ nochunks and printing from there.

Yes yes yes I know I should collaborate with the jadetex people and
help them fix that, but, you know, time being limited and all.

.....A. P. Harris...apharris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx<URL:http://www.onShore.com/>


 DSSSList info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/dsssl/dssslist


Current Thread
  • PostScript?
    • Jean-Baptiste - from mail1.ability.netby web4-1.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id AAA26443Wed, 26 Aug 1998 00:14:35 -0400 (EDT)
      • <Possible follow-ups>
      • Dr. Markus Hönicka - from mail1.ability.netby web4-1.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id EAA07514Wed, 26 Aug 1998 04:55:39 -0400 (EDT)
        • Adam P. Harris - from mail1.ability.netby web4-1.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id OAA03320Wed, 26 Aug 1998 14:11:44 -0400 (EDT) <=
          • Kendall Clark - from mail1.ability.netby web4-1.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id UAA19067Wed, 26 Aug 1998 20:21:26 -0400 (EDT)
          • Adam P. Harris - from mail1.ability.netby web4-1.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id JAA28128Thu, 27 Aug 1998 09:34:05 -0400 (EDT)
          • Tony Graham - from mail1.ability.netby web4-1.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id MAA12356Fri, 28 Aug 1998 12:04:28 -0400 (EDT)
      • Russell Grigaitis - from mail1.ability.netby web4-1.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id OAA03743Wed, 26 Aug 1998 14:18:33 -0400 (EDT)