Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!brl-adm!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!renoir.Berkeley.EDU!monardo From: monardo@renoir.Berkeley.EDU (Pat Monardo) Newsgroups: comp.text Subject: General Info on Common TeX Message-ID: <16731@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Fri, 2-Jan-87 18:36:33 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.16731 Posted: Fri Jan 2 18:36:33 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 2-Jan-87 21:36:56 EST Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: monardo@renoir.Berkeley.EDU (Pat Monardo) Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 25 Here are some facts concerning Common TeX. Distribution is the problem of course, but many questions have come up on other issues. When I mentioned that Common TeX preserves WEB macros, they are actually cpp macros, and follow cpp conventions, not WEB conventions. Common TeX uses all the good properties of C operators. Major points here concern the evaluation of boolean expressions. if C1 then if C2 then a_out is converted to if (C1 && C2) a_out(); and the precedence relationships of ||, &&, <, +, etc., are thoroughly abused, (i like it that way). It's surprising how often the if (C1 && C2 || C3 && C4) pattern occurs in programming, and C's &&-|| precedence is a real luxury here. I know this sounds like lang.c stuff, but enjoy the program. After all, I am distributing the source to be read. The experiences in language translation are as important to me as the work of typesetting. There are few library/system trips here. So when ports to other compilers are attempted, I am very interested in following/assisting the effort. pat