perm filename POX[3,2]12 blob
sn#438865 filedate 1979-05-10 generic text, type T, neo UTF8
POX is one of the myriad XGP formatting programs. Its major
advantages are vectors and macros together with precise placement of
everything under user (programmer) control. Alternatives are PUB
which can produce output for other devices (LPT, TTY and some exotic
ones) as well as produce footnotes and indexes, and TEX which has the
prettiest layout of text and most of what is needed for technical
papers but alas lacks vectors and macros.
The command "XSP POX.XGP[UP,DOC]" will produce hardcopy of
the writeup (appx. 30 pages). Occasional users can often borrow one
of the listings of the manual rather than make a new one. (Sometimes
there is a spare in the lounge or the publications room.)
A very old POX writeup in TTY/LPT format is available for
remote users. It is extremely obsolete, but you can find the basics
in it. To see it on your terminal, use "TYPE POXOLD.REM[UP,DOC]".
An "UNXGP"ed version of POX.XGP is available in POX.REM[UP,DOC]. It
is slightly unreadable since the UNXGPing process loses many of the
finer points of text placement, and also many lines are too wide for
most displays. But it's there, and it's more up-to-date than
POXOLD.REM and more readable than POX.XGP if you don't have an XGP.
Sometimes there are recent bugfixes, reported in
POX.LOG[1,REM], but since POX is now pretty stable these probably
aren't urgent to read.
The standard POX compiler is POX.DMP[1,3], but often there is a newer
experimental version and/or one or more older backup versions. The
experimental version is NPOX.DMP[1,3] and the backups are given names
POX.*[1,3] where the * is the month and date the version was created,
for example POX.414 on April 14 and POX.C06 on December 06.