<html><head><meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark"></head><body><pre style="word-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">\centerline{\bf Atari-ST \TeX}
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In the February issue of \TeXline, an implementation of \TeX\ for
the {\sc Atari-ST}~(by Tools {\sc gmbh}) was reviewed. An alternative
implementation, this time by the \TeX sys, {\sc st\TeX},
is the subject of the present review. The review copy was supplied as six
diskettes in compressed format contain \TeX, \IniTeX, \LaTeX, \BibTeX, \SliTeX,
\AmSTeX, as well as the screen preview program and associated fonts for a
wide range of magnifications. A shell menu, installation program
and a number of other utility programs are also included. The
review program was version~1.0 of \TeX~(version~2.92) and runs on
the 1040~STF and any of the larger machines. The use of a hard
disk is highly recommended, though the program will run happily on
a two disk drive system.

To start with, it's good to see that the program comes equipped
with a {\sc gem}-style shell environment, so that the cycle of editing,
processing and previewing~(and even printing) can all be achieved
without the need to revert back to the desktop to load in the
individual application programs. To help tailor your own shell
environment and to deal with different system configurations, the
use of environment-variables~(similar to {\sc unix}) is supported and
these can be specified in a set-up file either using an editor or
from within the shell environment itself. Options specified in the
set-up file appear highlighted in the menu and can be invoked
either by using the mouse to select the desired option or by
directly using the function keys, the meanings of which are
reflected in a separate bar menu at the bottom of the screen.
Additionally, the use of command interpreters, for those who
prefer it to the menu, is also supported.\par
The present implementation was tested using \LaTeX\ sample files.
The format~(e.g. |lplain.fmt|) to be used can be specified in the
shell menu and is automatically loaded whenever \TeX\ is invoked.
As expected, no major problems were encountered.\par
Unlike the Tools implementation, here the screen previewing and
printing are done by separate programs. Although printer drivers
were not supplied, it appears from the documentation that a number
of printers are supported, including {\sc Epson-fx}, {\sc Epson-lq} and the
{\sc hp}-Laserjet. Consequently, as regards print quality, this could
not be properly assessed.\par
The screen preview program once started, loads in the \dvi\
file of the current document being processed showing the first
page by default. Alternatively, the various options for the
preview program can be prespecified in the set-up file or set from
the shell menu. The display uses a default screen resolution of
100 dpi, and the text appears quite legible. The physical page
limits are also highlighted by default. The text can be moved
around by selecting the appropriate option from the menu bar or
alternatively using the cursor keys short cuts provided. The
{\sc return} key pressed repeatedly has a stepping action, moving the
text from right to left and then down when the right edge of the
text is reached. The mouse can be used to set the top-left or
bottom-right corners of the text. This can be forced to be
the new reference point which can then be returned to using the
{\sc home} key. Options for moving to the next or previous page as well
as skipping a number of pages in either direction have also been
provided. In addition, the text can be viewed at standard
reduction ratios of 4:1 and 9:1. Other magnification factors can
also be selected as long as the appropriate fonts are available,
otherwise the program automatically uses substitute fonts. The
standard fonts supplied cover a range from |\magstep0| through
to |\magstep5|. As an added bonus, the preview program permits
the inclusion of bit-mapped graphics. Graphical data stored in
{\sc degas} format need to be converted first using a utility program
supplied as part of the package. Unfortunately, despite numerous
attempts, the preview program kept complaining about `Bad File'
format, thus ignoring the graphical information.

I am
impressed with this latest effort, which is quite thorough and
does not appear to have any serious bugs. Details of the various
aspects of the implementation are covered in accompanying
leaflets, a copy of which is included on the diskettes in \dvi\
format. It is also encouraging to see that some of the
enhancements suggested in the February issue of \TeXline\ have been
implemented here.

Finally, I would like to suggest a number of improvements for
future versions. To begin with, the use of environment variables
should be extended to allow the path for various output
files~(e.g. {\dvi}, {|.log|, {|.aux|}, etc.) and also the
read-, write- and even graphic files to be independently
specified. Secondly, I feel that inclusion of {\sc gem} slider bars in
the preview program would be a very welcomed addition, since
it provides an indication of what portion of the text is being
viewed and is more natural for people familiar with {\sc gem} for moving
around a document. Provision of some sort of magnifying glass for
viewing a selectable portion of text at a readable magnification,
while in reduced or tiny modes, would be an added advantage. One
last point concerns the log file of the preview program. At
present any warning messages or messages regarding font
substitutions are written to a file and on exit the user is
reminded to read this log file if it has been generated. This is
inconvenient since it would mean either leaving the shell menu or
loading this log file into the editor in order to read it. Apart
from this I have noticed that this log file keeps ending up in the
editor sub-directory~(Why?). I suggest that an option be provided
for the user to assign a separate window to this log file so that
any messages issued by the program can be read and acted upon by
the user interactively.

The price of {\sc st}\TeX\ on its own, as described above, is \quid85.00,
but when bought together with the {\sc hp} LaserJet driver the figure is
\quid188.00. Bought with the dot matrix drivers, the combined total ({\sc
st}\TeX\ with {\sc dvidot}) is \quid160.00. Both driver packs can be bought
separately, at \quid128.00 and \quid100.00 respectively. \TeX sys also offer
{\sc st}{\mf MF}, their \MF\ implementation at \quid68.00. It is difficult to
say whether the iniquitous {\sc vat} would be applicable if you purchased
directly from \TeX sys. 
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\rightline{\sl Bijan Djahansouzi}
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