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dozens edited this page Oct 3, 2024 · 3 revisions

groff

uh oh dozens you're writing more groff bullshit last night on how to do a zine layout in groff in the finished version!

-pinhook

groff is a (mostly) linebased markup for typesetting and layout similar to LaTeX but much more lightweight.

it used to be used to create man pages, but mandoc is better at that now

you can still use it to create papers, documents, and books.

07:48 dozens: yeah that's my take on it too. Trying to get deep into complicated, pretty, or modern layout and it just doesn't feel like the right tool

07:48 but if you just need black text on white paper in boxes for boring business shit like invoices or "reports" BOY does it work SO well

here are some "neat" things about groff:

  • you basically can't get anything done in groff itself, so there are all these standard macro sets like ms and mom that add ergonomics and stuff to it
  • there are these pre-processors like eqn, tbl, and pic so you can include mathematical equations, tables, and pictures in your document.
  • there are diversions (like m4) and 'traps' that you can spring with macros and distances (see: .wh and .ch)

Resources:

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