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From: te...@nrcvax.UUCP (Terry Grevstad)
Newsgroups: net.books,net.text,net.wanted
Subject: a READABLE nroff/troff manual????
Message-ID: <204@nrcvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Aug-85 15:13:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: nrcvax.204
Posted: Thu Aug 1 15:13:31 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 4-Aug-85 10:33:14 EDT
Reply-To: te...@nrcvax.UUCP (Terry Grevstad)
Organization: Network Research Research Corp. Oxnard,CA
Lines: 17
I've got to learn Nroff/Troff in a hurry, and I find the Nroff/Troff
User's Manual highly unenlightening. Does anyone know of a book out
there that gives a fuller explanation of the subject? Maybe with some
good, clear examples? I've gone through everything in the UNIX User's
Manual Supplementary Documents, and right now I feel like I'm wading
in very deep water. The only other word processing type systems I'm
familiar with are things like WordStar and WordPerfect--not
anything like typesetting. Maybe a good book on typesetting would
help????
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Terry Grevstad
...!sdcrdcf!psivax!nrcvax!terry
"The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides,
never decides." -Henri Frederic Amiel-
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From: la...@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: net.books,net.text,net.wanted
Subject: Re: a READABLE nroff/troff manual????
Message-ID: <253@kitty.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 14:45:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: kitty.253
Posted: Tue Aug 6 14:45:53 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 8-Aug-85 00:57:53 EDT
References: <204@nrcvax.UUCP>
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 22
> I've got to learn Nroff/Troff in a hurry, and I find the Nroff/Troff
> User's Manual highly unenlightening. Does anyone know of a book out
> there that gives a fuller explanation of the subject? Maybe with some
> good, clear examples? ...
Try "A Practical Guide to the UNIX System" by Mark G. Sobell,
ISBN 0-8053-8910-5 published by The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co. of
Menlo Park, Ca. This book has about 50 pages on nroff with examples.
I had the same problem you did - and this book gave me enough
initial understanding so that I could THEN understand the UNIX doc's,
which are about as clear as mud for a first time user.
Larry Lippman
Recognition Research Corp.
Clarence, New York
UUCP {decvax,dual,rocksanne,rocksvax,watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry
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From: ay...@convexs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.books
Subject: Re: a READABLE nroff/troff manual????
Message-ID: <6000005@convexs>
Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 10:00:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: convexs.6000005
Posted: Mon Aug 12 10:00:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Aug-85 06:47:36 EDT
References: <204@nrcvax.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:nrcvax.UUCP:-20400:convexs:6000005:000:728
Nf-From: convexs.UUCP!ayers Aug 12 09:00:00 1985
/* Written 12:15 pm Aug 6, 1985 by w...@rti-sel.UUCP in convexs:net.books */
Unfortunately, much software documentation is unreadable or unuseable
because many technical people undervalue the importance of
documentation to the user and underestimate the difficulty of
producing first-rate documentation... It takes considerable SKILL to produce
useable, readable documentation; when is the industry going to recognize this
fact? ...The problem with the Nroff/Troff User's Manual is that it was written
by hackers for hackers.
-- Cheers, Bill Ingogly
/* End of text from convexs:net.books */
Thank you, Bill...
blues, II
No Clothes! No Clothes! The Emperor Penguin has no clothes!
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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!hplabs!qantel!proper!judith
From: jud...@proper.UUCP (Judith Abrahms)
Newsgroups: net.books,net.text,net.wanted
Subject: Re: a READABLE nroff/troff manual????
Message-ID: <219@proper.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 16-Aug-85 07:09:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: proper.219
Posted: Fri Aug 16 07:09:57 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 22:26:04 EDT
References: <>
Reply-To: jud...@proper.UUCP (judith)
Organization: Proper UNIX, Oakland CA
Lines: 20
In article <> te...@nrcvax.UUCP (Terry Grevstad) writes:
>I've got to learn Nroff/Troff in a hurry, and I find the Nroff/Troff
>User's Manual highly unenlightening. Does anyone know of a book out
>there that gives a fuller explanation of the subject? Maybe with some
>good, clear examples?
UNIX FOR PEOPLE, by Birns, Brown, & Muster (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
NJ, 1985) is the book I've found clearest, easiest, and fastest to learn from
in my attempts to master editing on here. It's aimed at the complete novice,
but you can skim the parts that are already familiar. Examples, short reviews,
and exercises to give you practice online are plentiful. The style is simple
but not disgustingly jocular. The book takes you through an intro to vi &
goes right on to troff & nroff, phototypesetting, etc.
I've seen it at Tower Books (subsid. of Tower Records), UCB bookstore, & other
places. It ought to be easy to find.
And if you can handle Wordstar...! No problem!
JA