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- From: Jonathan Monsarrat <postscript-request@cs.brown.edu>
- Subject: v02INF3: PostScript Sources monthly FAQ v1.11 12-26-93 [1 of 3]
- Content-Type: text
- Message-ID: <JGM.94Apr11234719@chekov.cs.brown.edu>
- Followup-To: poster
- Summary: Useful facts about the PostScript Sources newsgroup
- Sender: news@cs.brown.edu
- Reply-To: postscript-request@cs.brown.edu (Jonathan Monsarrat)
- Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
- Mime-Version: 1.0
- Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 04:47:19 GMT
- Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
- Expires: Thu, 12 May 1994 00:00:00 GMT
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- Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu comp.sources.postscript:208 comp.answers:4870 news.answers:17936
-
- Archive-name: postscript/sources
- Last-modified: 1993/12/26
- Version: 1.11
-
- -- PostScript Sources --
-
- Introduction to comp.sources.postscript
-
- (the comp.sources.postscript FAQ v1.11)
-
- Jonathan Monsarrat
-
- postscript-request@cs.brown.edu
-
-
-
-
-
-
- This FAQ is formatted as a digest.
-
- Most news readers can skip from one question
-
- to the next by pressing control-G. GNUs uses
-
- C-c C-n to skip to the next question.
-
-
- To contribute sources, read the section ``Submitting Sources''.
-
- Newsgroup-related mail that is not a submission should be sent to
- me at postscript-request@cs.brown.edu.
-
- Related FAQs: comp.lang.postscript, comp.sources.misc, comp.text,
- comp.text.tex, comp.fonts, comp.graphics.
-
- The comp.sources.postscript archives are available by ftp to
- ftp.sterling.com in /usenet/comp.sources.postscript/ or
- ftp.ips.cs.tu-bs.de in /usenet/comp.sources.postscript. There is an
- index in the last section of this FAQ.
-
- This FAQ and the indexes are available by anonymous ftp to
- wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.sources.postscript. You can get the
- comp.lang.postscript FAQ by anonymous ftp to
- wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.lang.postscript. Both come in ASCII,
- LaTeX, DVI, and PostScript formats.
-
- Table of Contents
-
-
- 1 About comp.sources.postscript
- 2 What to Expect
- 3 Getting Sources
- 3.1 How to Get a Program from Usenet
- 3.2 Using the Comp.sources.postscript Index and Archive
- 3.3 Using the PostScript interpreters and utilities index
- 3.4 How to Display PostScript
- 3.5 How to Report Bugs
- 4 Submitting Sources
- 4.1 Content of Comp.Sources.Postscript
- 4.2 Where to Post your Source
- 4.3 Guidelines
- 4.4 Copyright
- 4.5 Index and Submission Information
- 4.6 How to Submit a Program
- 4.7 Header Lines for Your Posting
- 4.8 After Posting
- 5 PostScript Interpreters and Utilities
- 5.1 How can I find a program?
- 5.2 How can I browse through PostScript programs?
- 5.3 Keywords
- 5.4 Interpreters
- 5.5 Utilities
- 6 comp.sources.postscript Index to Volume 1
- 7 Acknowledgements
-
-
- Subject: 1 About comp.sources.postscript
-
- This moderated newsgroup is for the distribution of source code for
- utilities and pictures in PostScript, and for PostScript-related
- programs.
-
- You can post programs here, but they won't show up right away. All
- postings to the newsgroup get sent to me, the moderator, for
- approval. Then the sources get tested, packaged, and posted. All
- other posts (such as requests and discussion) will be returned to
- the sender. comp.lang.postscript is the Usenet newsgroup for
- discussions. comp.sources.d is the Usenet newsgroup for sources
- requests.
-
-
- Subject: 2 What to Expect
-
- On comp.sources.postscript you will find utilities (in PostScript
- and other languages), clip art, fonts, and examples of PostScript
- programming. All pictures in PostScript are also programs, so when
- I say program or source throughout this document, think ``picture
- or utility''.
-
-
- Subject: 3 Getting Sources
-
- There are three ways to get a program from this group:
-
-
- * directly from Usenet postings,
-
- * through the comp.sources.postscript index and archive,
-
- * and through the PostScript interpreters and utilities index.
-
-
- Subject: 3.1 How to Get a Program from Usenet
-
- Each posting in comp.sources.postscript is called an ``issue''.
- There are generally 100 to 125 issues in a volume. The division is
- arbitrary. There are three types of articles in
- comp.sources.postscript: source postings, informational postings,
- and the monthly summarized request list. They can be distinguished
- by the subject line.
-
-
- Subject: v02INF1: PostScript Sources monthly FAQ v1.00 03-03-93
-
- This first word in the title identifies this as the first
- informational posting of volume one. Similarly, the subject line
- shown below:
-
-
- Subject: v02i072: schlep - PostScript interpreter in PostScript, Part01/02
-
- identifies this as the 72nd source article in Volume 1. In the
- above example, the Part01/02 indicates that this is the first part
- of a two part posting. The first few lines of an article after the
- USENET required headers are the auxiliary headers that look like
- this:
-
-
- Submitted-by: j_random_hacker@athena.mit.edu (J. Arthur Random)
- Posting-number: Volume 1, Issue 72
- Archive-name: schlep/part01
-
- The ``Submitted-by'' line in each issue is the author of the
- program. If you have comments about an issue published in
- comp.sources.postscript, this is the person to contact.
-
- The ``Archive-name'' is the official name of this source in the
- archive.
-
- All source postings are treated as multi-part postings, which are
- archived in a subdirectory within the volume directory. Postings
- have names that look like this:
-
-
- Source posting
- Archive-name: schlep/part01
-
- Patch posting
- Archive-name: schlep/patch01
-
- Informational (INF) postings, such as the posting you are currently
- reading, are not stored in a subdirectory as are source postings.
- INF postings have archive names such as indx33v02-07 and
- patchlog33. From an archiving perspective, archive names for all
- INFormational postings are specified so as to store the INF
- postings directly in the volume's base directory. Archive names for
- source postings are specified so as to store the sources in
- subdirectories within the volume's base directory.
-
- When we start having patches, I'll add information here about
- patches. They'll look like the ones in comp.sources.misc.
-
- The Environment: auxiliary header line lists the language and
- operating system requirements for the program. Check this line
- before taking the time to unpack a posting, to make sure you will
- be able to run the program.
-
-
- Environment: syntax
- Environment: Keyword [, keyword ..]
-
- Environment: example
- Environment: PostScript, GhostScript, PBMPLUS, C++
-
- The keyword's usage is case insensitive. There is also a not
- indicator (e.g. !AIX) so that the moderator can specify that the
- package runs on everything but the specified keyword.
-
- The following is a list of keywords used within articles that have
- been posted to comp.sources.postscript and their meanings. Keywords
- are added to this list on a first-use basis.
-
-
- ANSI C
- - Runs in the C programming language. ANSI standard C.
-
- PostScript
- - Requires a postscript printer/viewer.
-
- UNIX
- - as far as I know, operates on any unix system
-
-
- Subject: 3.2 Using the Comp.sources.postscript Index and Archive
-
- The first comp.sources.postscript index will be posted next month.
- By then, there should be an archive on ftp.uu.net, probably in
- /usenet/comp.sources.postscript. If you decide to archive the
- rm people that your
- archive exists.
-
-
- Subject: 3.3 Using the PostScript interpreters and utilities index
-
- This index lists all know PostScript programs, regardless of
- whether they have been posted to comp.sources.postscript. Unlike
- the one-line descriptions of the comp.sources.postscript index,
- this index contains full descriptions and references. Look in the
- index itself for where to get the programs.
-
- You can find this index in the last section of this FAQ.
-
-
- Subject: 3.4 How to Display PostScript
-
- If the program is a PostScript picture, just send it to a
- PostScript printer, or view it on screen with a PostScript
- interpreter. If you have no PostScript printer or interpreter, I
- recommend using GhostScript, which is free and reliable.
- GhostScript runs on MS-DOS, UNIX, Macintosh, VMS, X windows, and
- the Atari-ST. On the Amiga, use Post. Check the PostScript
- interpreters and utilities index for more information about these
- previewers.
-
-
- Subject: 3.5 How to Report Bugs
-
- To report bugs, contact the person listed in the Submitted-by:
- header. If the bug is important, post also to comp.sources.bugs so
- that other people will learn about it. If the bug makes the program
- unusable, write me so that I can get the author to correct it and
- have a new version posted.
-
- Subject: 4 Submitting Sources
-
- If you'd like to submit a PostScript source, thank you! Please read
- this section of happy hints first. The benefits of submitting your
- program include: free archiving and distribution, testing (not by
- me, but by readers), and the name recognition you deserve for
- bringing free software to the world.
-
- Even if you post your program somewhere else, or if it is
- commercial or shareware, you should still write me with a
- description of the program for the PostScript interpreters and
- utilities index, which lists everything in the PostScript world.
-
-
- Subject: 4.1 Content of Comp.Sources.Postscript
-
- This newsgroup is for posting programs written in PostScript as
- well as PostScript-related programs written in other languages.
- These programs could be utilities, fonts, or graphic images of use
- to a wide audience.
-
-
- Clip Art:
- Hand-made PostScript programs, converted binaries, or the machine
- generated output from drawing tools, representing a graphic
- image.
-
- Utilities:
- Programs written in PostScript, or those written in other
- languages that either generate or operate on PostScript programs.
-
- Examples:
- "How-to" examples are encouraged.
-
- Fonts:
- Fonts that can be used with the PostScript language. This would
- include both Type 1 and Type 3 fonts. Since TrueType fonts can't
- interact with PostScript, that would preclude them.
-
- Specific information, such as a new weathermap in PostScript posted
- daily, is more like a binary than a source, and is not appropriate.
- Also, text documents formatted in PostScript are not appropriate.
-
-
- Subject: 4.2 Where to Post your Source
-
- If you are unsure where to post your program, the closest
- newsgroups to comp.lang.postscript are:
-
-
- comp.sources.misc
- will accept source under any programming language, and has a wide
- distribution and a large audience.
-
- alt.sources
- is an unmoderated source group, which would allow you to
- instantly post your source. Unfortunately, it is not as widely
- read because alt.* groups are not available at many sites.
-
- comp.sources.unix
- accepts UNIX programs of all kinds.
-
- comp.lang.postscript
- is a fine newsgroup to post an example program that aids
- discussion or answers a question, if it is small (a page or two).
- However, please consider posting to comp.sources.postscript, as a
- way to have your example archived and available to help people in
- the future.
-
- If you have a previously posted program, it is probably best to
- continue posting it to the original newsgroup, which is where your
- current users will expect to find it. I can put a reference to your
- program in the PostScript interpreters and utilities index. Of
- course, if you do decide to switch newsgroups, your program will be
- welcome here.
-
- Shareware will not be accepted. Try posting to alt.sources or
- comp.sources.misc, and give me a reference to place in the
- PostScript interpreters and utilities index. Alternatively,
- consider making your program free.
-
- Please don't send me executables. There are comp.binaries.*
- newsgroups for that. Only send binaries if they are important to
- the program and cannot be sent in source format. If your program
- goes along with a song or startup picture, its OK to include the
- uuencoded song or picture binary.
-
-
- Subject: 4.3 Guidelines
-
- If your program is a picture, please consider Encapsulated
- PostScript and Document Structuring Convention conformance. Little
- wood elves will visit you in your sleep and thank you for it. You
- can learn about these things from the comp.lang.postscript FAQ.
- There are tools which make conformance easy, too. You are welcome
- to consider a preview bitmap, which would make an EPS file into an
- EPSI file.
-
- Well-commented code is encouraged. It will allow others to learn
- from your examples, and to make improvements to the code that you
- can use. Thousands of people who do not know you will have their
- only contact with you through your program. It's worth making a
- good impression.
-
- It would be nice if you included a Makefile, man page (or other
- documentation), a README file which describes the project and what
- each file does.
-
- If your program is an example of PostScript programming, it should
- actually do something. An example of centering a string should be a
- program that actually centers a string.
-
- Similarly, if you submit a library, please include example files
- which use the library.
-
- You must be (or have permission from) the author of the program you
- submit.
-
-
- Subject: 4.4 Copyright
-
- Your program should have an explicit copyright. If you don't
- believe in copyrights, then protect that belief with a copyright
- directed towards free software. Otherwise, someone else may steal
- your program and claim authorship.
-
- Something like the following might be appropriate:
-
-
- Copyright (C) 1993, J. Arthur Random
- Permission to use and modify this software and its
- documentation for any purpose other than its incorporation
- into a commercial product is hereby granted without fee.
- Permission to copy and distribute this software and its
- documentation only for non-commercial use is also granted
- without fee, provided, however, that the above copyright
- notice appear in all copies, that both that copyright
- notice and this permission notice appear in supporting
- documentation. The author makes no representations about
- the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is
- provided ``as is'' without express or implied warranty.
-
-
- Subject: 4.5 Index and Submission Information
-
- When you submit a program, or make a reference to one, please tell
- me:
-
-
- * What is the name of the program?
-
- * What does it claim to do, and does it do it well? Is it worth
- using? If not, why not?
-
- * Where is it available? What ftp sites can I get it from?
-
- * How much does it cost? Is it free?
-
- * What kinds of computers does it run on?
-
- * Who is the author and does the author give an email address?
-
- * Does it handle PostScript 2?
-
- * What other software does it rely on?
-
- * If it is clip-art, what is it clip art of?
-
- * If it is an example, what is it an example of?
-
- If the program is a PostScript interpreter, then the I also need to
- know:
-
-
- s one page?
-
- * Does it display the number of pages in the document?
-
- * Does it let you print PostScript to a non-PostScript printer?
-
- * What formats can it convert to?
-
-
- Subject: 4.6 How to Submit a Program
-
- First, format your program for posting. Please keep filenames to 12
- or fewer characters in length.
-
- I don't care what format you submit your program in, although if
- you happen to pack your program using shar in chunks of less than
- 55K, I'd be very happy. cshar would be even better. Otherwise, I
- will reformat it myself. If you post in plain ASCII, please make
- sure that you give me the right filenames.
-
- Post your program to comp.sources.postscript, and it will
- automatically be sent to me. Alternatively, you can just email it
- to postscript@cs.brown.edu.
-
- I will notify you by email when I receive your program. If you
- don't hear from me within 24 hours, something is probably wrong and
- you should try contacting me again. I may not have received your
- original post.
-
- Have patience -- your article will not show up in the newsreader
- until I approve it and package it. I'll try to do this as quickly
- as possible.
-
-
- Subject: 4.7 Header Lines for Your Posting
-
- The Subject: line should describe the entire program in 60
- characters, to be used for the archive index.
-
- The Reply-To: line should list the email address for whomever
- comments and questions should be sent to.
-
- The Organization: line is optional. It lists what organization you
- belong to. Obviously, you must have the organization's approval if
- you post software which belongs to them, even if you helped write
- it.
-
- The Summary: line describes in one or two sentences what the
- program is. Also please include blurb which describes what the
- posting is/does/contains. This should only be a paragraph or two.
-
- Put a blank line and then have the following lines:
-
- The Archive-name: line should have the package name that you want
- the submission archived by. The package name should be in the
- format packagename/partname. The package name and partname must not
- be more than 12 characters long. The package name will be used as a
- directory name. The partname should look like a series of files
- part01, part02, part03, if there are many parts to your program. If
- there is only one part, still make it ``part01''.
-
- The Environment: line lists what operating systems, languages, and
- packages are needed. If your program is entirely PostScript, then
- the environment is ``PostScript''.
-
- The Keywords: line provides a nice way to search for your program.
- I'll make up some standard Keywords when I get an idea what the
- types of sources postings are. For now, just pick what you think is
- best.
-
- For example, your post might look like this:
-
-
- Newsgroups: comp.sources.postscript
- Subject: schlep - PostScript interpreter in PostScript, Part01/02
- Reply-To: j_random_hacker@athena.mit.edu (J. Arthur Random)
- Organization: Student Information Processing Board
- Summary: schlep is a fully functional PostScript interpreter with
- color and PostScript 2 capability, written entirely in
- PostScript. Runs as fast as most compiled interpreters!
-
- Archive-name: schlep/part01
- Environment: PostScript
- Keywords: postscript interpreter, color, level-2
-
- Schlep is a very useful PostScript interpreter. It is every bit as
- good as the commercial interpreters, plus it is written in everyone's
- favorite language.
-
- #! /bin/sh
- # This is a shell archive. Remove anything before this line, then unpack
- # it by saving it into a file and typing "sh file". To overwrite existing
- # files, type "sh file -c". You can also feed this as standard input via
- # unshar, or by typing "sh <file", e.g.. If this archive is complete, you
- # will see the following message at the end:
- # "End of shell archive."
- # Contents: schlep.ps
- # Wrapped by j_arthur_random@binkley.mit.edu on Wed Mar 3 12:26:38 1993
- PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb ; export PATH
- if test -f 'schlep.ps' -a "${1}" != "-c" ; then
- echo shar: Will not clobber existing file \"'schlep.ps'\"
- else
- echo shar: Extracting \"'schlep.ps'\" (84 characters)
- sed "s/^X//" >'schlep.ps' <<'END_OF_FILE'
- X(Schlep Version 1.00 by J. Arthur Hacker\n) print
- X(Processing your program\n) print
- END_OF_FILE
- if test 84 -ne `wc -c <'schlep.ps'`; then
- echo shar: \"'schlep.ps'\" unpacked with wrong size!
- fi
- # end of 'schlep.ps'
- fi
- echo shar: End of shell archive.
- exit 0
-
- Again, note the blank line between Summary and Archive-name. The
- second posting might look like (shown for completeness):
-
-
- Newsgroups: comp.sources.postscript
- Subject: schlep - PostScript interpreter in PostScript, Part02/02
- Reply-To: j_random_hacker@athena.mit.edu (J. Arthur Random)
- Organization: Student Information Processing Board
- Summary: schlep is a fully functional PostScript interpreter with
- color and PostScript 2 capability, written entirely in
- PostScript. Runs as fast as most compiled interpreters!
-
- Archive-name: schlep/part02
- Environment: PostScript
- Keywords: postscript interpreter, color, level-2
-
- #! /bin/sh
- # This is a shell archive. Remove anything before this line, then unpack
- # it by saving it into a file and typing "sh file". To overwrite existing
- # files, type "sh file -c". You can also feed this as standard input via
- # unshar, or by typing "sh <file", e.g.. If this archive is complete, you
- # will see the following message at the end:
- # "End of shell archive."
- # Contents: schlep.doc
- # Wrapped by j_arthur_random@binkley.mit.edu on Wed Mar 3 12:26:38 1993
- PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb ; export PATH
- if test -f 'schlep.doc' -a "${1}" != "-c" ; then
- echo shar: Will not clobber existing file \"'schlep.doc'\"
- else
- echo shar: Extracting \"'schlep.doc'\" (238 characters)
- sed "s/^X//" >'schlep.doc' <<'END_OF_FILE'
- XBasically, just prepend schlep.ps to the PostScript program that you
- Xwant to interpret, and run the schlep program in an interpreter.
- XNote how quickly schlep interprets your program, even though it is
- Xwritten in an interpreted language!
- X
- END_OF_FILE
- if test 238 -ne `wc -c <'schlep.doc'`; then
- echo shar: \"'schlep.doc'\" unpacked with wrong size!
- fi
- # end of 'schlep.doc'
- fi
- echo shar: End of shell archive.
- exit 0
-
-
- Subject: 4.8 After Posting
-
- You should subscribe to comp.sources.bugs and comp.sources.d to
- learn about problems with and comments on your program, and even
- improvements made to it.
-
-
- Subject: 7 Acknowledgements
-
- I am indebted to Kent Landfield, the comp.sources.misc moderator,
- for his help in forming the newsgroup and making this FAQ (parts of
- which are copied from his with permission). Thanks also to Allen
- Braunsdorf, the back-up moderator for this newsgroup, for his
- suggestions and assistance.
-
- This FAQ is copyright (C) 1994 by Jonathan Monsarrat. Permission is
- granted to freely edit and distribute as long as this copyright
- notice is included.
-
- This document was written with the LaTeX language and formatted by
- LameTeX, the PostScript hacker's LaTeX.
-
-
- %! Jon Monsarrat jgm@cs.brown.edu moderator, comp.sources.postscript %!
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