path: root/doc/user/preface

@Preface @Begin
@LP
This User's Guide brings together in one document everything needed
for the day-to-day use of Version 3 of the Lout document formatting
system.
@IndexLetters
@PP
There are three other documents describing Lout:  the Expert's Guide
@Cite { $kingston1995lout.expert }, which you need if you want to add
new features to Lout; a journal paper on the design and implementation
of Lout @Cite { $kingston1993lout.design }; and a set of overhead
transparencies @Cite { $kingston1994lout.overheads } that cover much
the same ground as this Guide.  These documents are all distributed
with the software.
@PP
Lout is distributed free of charge under the GNU Public License.  The
gnu. @Index { GNU Public License }
primary source is directory
@ID @Code "ftp://ftp.it.usyd.edu.au/jeff/lout"
containing a gzipped tar file of the current version
(currently {@Code "lout-3.34.tar.gz"}), and various other things including
a PostScript version of this guide.  The distribution contains source code,
libraries, documentation, license, and installation instructions.
@PP
A mailing list has been set up for discussion of all topics related to
Lout.  To subscribe (or unsubscribe), visit
@ID @Code "http://lists.planix.com/mailman/options.cgi/lout-users/"
After subscribing, to post an item send email to
{@Code "lout-users@lists.planix.com"}; it will be forwarded to all
subscribers via email.
@PP
Lout began in 1984 as a research project into the design of a high-level
language for document formatting.  At that time my name for the subject
was `document layout,' and this terminology survives in the name
`Lout'.  The initial design
was strongly influenced by Brian W. Kernighan and Lorinda L. Cherry's eqn
kernighan @Index { Kernighan, Brian W. }
cherry.l @Index { Cherry, Lorinda L.}
eqn. @Index { @Code eqn equation formatter }
equation formatter @Cite { $kernighan1975eqn }, and also by Brian K. Reid's
Scribe system @Cite { $reid1980scribe }.  That
scribe. @RawIndex { Scribe }
scribe.influence @SubIndex { influence on Lout }
reid.b @Index { Reid, Brian K. }
research phase ended in October 1991 with the first public release of Lout.
@PP
Since then the system has been steadily improved and extended.  Optimal
paragraph breaking and automatic hyphenation were copied from Donald
knuth @Index { Knuth, D. E. }
tex. @Index { @TeX }
E. Knuth's @TeX system @Cite { $knuth1984tex }, and the optimal paragraph
breaking algorithm was applied to the problem of producing optimal page
breaks.  The first implementations of horizontal galleys and optimal
page breaking were by my student Gabor Inokai.  Vincent Tan contributed
the PDF back end.  Valeriy E. Ushakov smoothed the path for many
people, by his contributions to improving Lout's robustness, and his
tireless management of and responses to the Lout mailing list.  The
current mailing list maintainer is Greg Woods.  The number of other
people who have offered comments and suggestions to me is so great
that it is quite out of my power to acknowledge them individually.  I
hope that seeing their ideas adopted will be thanks enough.
@DP
@RLD lines @Break {
Jeffrey H. Kingston
School of Information Technologies
The University of Sydney 2006, Australia
@Code "jeff@it.usyd.edu.au"
}
@End @Preface