Date   : Mon, 29 Dec 1986 0908:00
From   : Sold - but we have others <binder%fizbin.DEC@decwrl.dec.com>
Subject: Re: Printer filter

halko@nadc.ARPA writes:

> you should be able to turn off the justify option .

This in response to my message to Shawn Miner in re: his query for a filter to
handle overstriking sequences via backspacing. 

True, you should be able to turn off the justify option.  With WordStar, and 
with most other good WPs, you can.  But turning off justification is not in
itself sufficient.  Consider the following nonsensical bit of French 
philosophy:

    Ca, c'est la boite noire de noel bien aimee qui doit rougir qu'on la
    connaitrait. 

(Rough translation, "That's the well-loved black Christmas box that must blush
so that it may be known."  Pardon the rust; I've had little opportunity to
speak French in the last 20 years.) 

This example, of course, lacks six diacritical marks that should be there. 
To print it with marks, by backspacing, requires twelve "extra" characters in
the text - with justification turned off, you'll get one awfully short line in
the middle of your text, or maybe two slightly short ones.  For drafts, and
for many other uses, that's okay.  But it's not acceptable if you're trying to
produce professional printed copy.  For that, you need justification.  A good
WP understands all this.  WordStar counts a <BS> and one following character
as no characters and thereby does not screw up the character count.  Justified
or not, the printed text will have lines as full as possible.  I surmise that 
other WPs are as intelligent.

Writing a filter to handle all the justification, character-counting, bolding, 
underscoring, line-overstriking, discretionary hyphenation, etc., that a truly
good WP does, seems to me a trifle in the line of far too much work for far
too little return, without even considering the hassle of using such a filter.
Such a filter defeats the purpose of a WP - why not just use ED and then run
the result through your filter??  No, thank you, not me.

Cheers,
Dick Binder   (The Stainless Steel Rat)

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