300(1) SysV 300(1)
NAME
300, 300s - handle special functions of DASI 300 and 300s terminals
SYNOPSIS
300 [ +12 ] [ -n ] [ -dt,l,c ]
300s [ +12 ] [ -n ] [ -dt,l,c ]
DESCRIPTION
The 300 command supports special functions and optimizes the use of the
DASI 300 (GSI 300 or DTC 300) terminal; 300s performs the same functions
for the DASI 300s (GSI 300s or DTC 300s) terminal. It converts half-line
forward, half-line reverse, and full-line reverse motions to the correct
vertical motions. In the following discussion of the 300 command, it
should be noted that unless your system contains the DOCUMENTER'S
WORKBENCH Software, references to certain commands (e.g., nroff, neqn,
eqn,) will not work. It also attempts to draw Greek letters and other
special symbols. It permits convenient use of 12-pitch text. It reduces
printing time 5 to 70%. You can use the 300 command to print equations
neatly, in the sequence:
neqn file ... | nroff | 300
OPTIONS
+12 Permits use of 12-pitch, 6 lines/inch text. DASI 300 terminals
normally allow only two combinations: 10-pitch, 6 lines/inch,
or 12-pitch, 8 lines/inch. To obtain the 12-pitch, 6 lines per
inch combination, turn the PITCH switch to 12, and use the +12
option.
-n Controls the size of half-line spacing. A half-line is, by
default, equal to 4 vertical plot increments. Because each
increment equals 1/48 of an inch, a 10-pitch line-feed requires
8 increments, while a 12-pitch line-feed needs only 6. The
first digit of n overrides the default value, thus allowing for
individual taste in the appearance of subscripts and
superscripts. For example, nroff half-lines can be made to act
as quarter-lines by using -2. You can also obtain appropriate
half-lines for 12-pitch, 8 lines/inch mode by using the option
-3 alone, having set the PITCH switch to 12-pitch.
-dt,l,c controls delay factors. The default setting is -d3,90,30.
DASI 300 terminals sometimes produce peculiar output when faced
with very long lines, too many tab characters, or long strings
of blankless, non-identical characters. One null (delay)
character is inserted in a line for every set of t tabs, and
for every contiguous string of c non-blank, non-tab characters.
If a line is longer than l bytes, 1+(total length)/20 nulls are
inserted at the end of that line. Items can be omitted from
the end of the list, implying use of the default values. Also,
a value of zero for t (c) results in two null bytes per tab
(character). The former may be needed for C programs, the
latter for files like /etc/passwd. Because terminal behavior
varies according to the specific characters printed and the
load on a system, you may have to experiment with these values
to get correct output. The -d option exists only as a last
resort for those few cases that do not otherwise print
properly. For example, you can print the file /etc/passwd
using -d3,30,5. The value -d0,1 is a good one to use for C
programs that have many levels of indentation.
You can use 300 with the nroff -s flag or .rd requests, when it is
necessary to insert paper manually or change fonts in the middle of a
document. Instead of pressing RETURN in these cases, you must use the
line-feed key to get any response.
In many (but not all) cases, the following sequences are equivalent:
nroff -T300 files ... and nroff files ... | 300
nroff -T300-12 files ... and nroff files ... | 300 +12
Using 300 can often be avoided unless special delays or options are
required; in a few cases, however, the additional movement optimization
of 300 can produce better-aligned output.
The neqn names of, and resulting output for, the Greek and special
characters supported by 300 are shown in greek(5).
NOTE
The delay control interacts heavily with the prevailing carriage return
and line-feed delays. The stty(1) modes nl0 cr2 or nl0 cr3 are
recommended for most uses.
WARNING
If your terminal has a PLOT switch, make sure it is turned ON before 300
is used.
BUGS
Some special characters cannot be correctly printed in column 1 because
the print head cannot be moved to the left from there.
If your output contains Greek and/or reverse line-feeds, use a friction-
feed platen instead of a forms tractor; although good enough for drafts,
the latter has a tendency to slip when reversing direction, distorting
Greek characters and misaligning the first line of text after one or more
reverse line-feeds.
SEE ALSO
450(1), mesg(1), graph(1G), stty(1), tabs(1), tplot(1G).
eqn(1), nroff(1), tbl(1) in the UNIX System V Documenter's Workbench
Reference Manual
greek(5) in the SysV Programmer's Reference.