Date   : Mon, 27 FEB 1986 11:52:00-N
From   : INFOEARN%HLERUL5.BITNET@wiscvm.ARPA
Subject: Roff4 problems / What is ZCPR ?

Hello all,

As a first time user of this user group I have a few questions:

1. I am using Roff4 1.60 written by E. Bergmann.
Unfortunately I have a problem. From time to time I get the following
error message:
"STRLN3: weird character value .."
(or something like that, can't remember now)

This error occurs when I try to output various formulas like:

 x      1    1            1      1
e = 1 + -- + -- + ... + ------ + --
        2!   3!         (n-1)!   n!

The definitions needed to output such a formula are very long:
I use the following:
.sc #
e^+x^-=#1#+^(^+1^-^)--^)^-2!^+#+#^(^+1^)--^)^-3!^+   etc.

This line expands to 1 + 1/2! + 1/3! on paper (I hope).
I frequently need to build up 2 or 3-4 formulas after another (the
definitions are very long, sometimes over 2 lines of 80 characters) seperated
with some text. The formulas itself are formatted just fine; but
the curious error "STRLN3" occurs when Roff4 wants to output a footer at
the bottom of the text.
I think Roff4 can't handle such long equations of over 2 lines and is
going haywire.
The funny thing is that if I delete one equation from the (problem) page,
the error "STRLN3" doesn't occur. The deleted equation formatted in a separate
file (containing just that equation) works fine also. But the moment I
put the equation back in the original text, Roff4 refuses to work correctly.

Can anyone help me ??? What is causing this problem ? How can you rectify
it ? Are there more known problems with this version of Roff4?
Any general information about Roff is welcome also.

2. What are the ZCPR2 and ZCPR3 systems? I want to implement it on the
following system:

Acorn BBC model B with Acorn Z80 second processor
64K RAM, 56K free
2 * 400 K disk drives

The only assembler I have is the ASM assembler included in the CP/M 2.2
package. I believe you need the MAC assembler from DR to implement ZCPR??


Thanks in advance


..Marc Chang Sing Pang

ARPANET:     SINGPANG%HLERUL5.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA
BITNET/EARN: SINGPANG@HLERUL5