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diff --git a/doc/user/preface b/doc/user/preface new file mode 100644 index 0000000..eada554 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/user/preface @@ -0,0 +1,66 @@ +@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. +@IndexBlanks +@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.cs.su.oz.au/jeff/lout" +in which may be found a gzipped tar file containing the main distribution +(currently {@Code "lout-3.17.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, send email to @Code "lout-request@ptc.spbu.ru" +containing the word @Code "subscribe" in the Subject line. To post an +item, send email to {@Code "lout@ptc.spbu.ru"}; it will be forwarded to +all subscribers via email. To unsubscribe, send email to +@Code "lout-request@ptc.spbu.ru" containing the word @Code "unsubscribe" +in the Subject line. +@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.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. The strongest influence during this period has come from +Lout's users; indeed the number of people who have offered comments and +suggestions 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 +Basser Department of Computer Science +The University of Sydney 2006, Australia +@Code "jeff@cs.usyd.edu.au" +} +@End @Preface |