Re: Help!!!!

[Rebecca and Rowland <rebecca@astrid.u-net.com>]

At 5:37 pm +0000 14/3/99, AMS Technical Support wrote:
>dear marion dikten,
>we're responsible for the amsfonts and their documentation, so i am
>concerned with the problem you describe:
>
>    ...  help me with the following
>    font problem concerning OzTeX and my Macintosh.
>
>    ... Today I read in the docs that one gets with AMSfonts
>    that I have to use some *.fd's in some "obsolete" subdirectory of some
>    latex directory. I did that (even though I never use latex), ...
>
>fonts to be used with plain tex have no need for any .fd files.
>what is important is that the .tfm files are located in the same
>place as you find cmr10.tfm.

In this case, I would suggest that this is a bad idea, and that the tfm
files should be kept in a different folder.  OzTeX:tex-fonts:AMS: would be
a much better idea.

[snip]

>since you mention euex57, i guess that you are using the type 1
>versions of these fonts.  for printing, you will need the .pfb
>files in the same place as other .pfb files, e.g. cmr10.pfb --
>the oztex documentation should say where that is.

OzTeX runs on Macs, which don't use pfb files[1].  Printer fount files of
type code LWFN are the Mac equivalent.  They normally live in the System
Folder:Fonts: folder, but you can keep them elsewhere if you use a fount
management utility like Carpetbag (shareware), ATM deluxe, and so on.

ATM on my Mac makes a *really* bad job of rendering the PS Type 1 CM/PS
founts, so I always use the pk versions of the CM founts unless I'm
preparing pdf or ps output.

> if you aren't
>getting any complaints from tex about the .tfm files, then it may
>be that the substitution of \rm fonts us done in the printing
>phase, leading to the conclusion that the .pfb files (or .px if
>you are using the rasters) are not where the dvi processor expects
>to find them.

Printer fount files or pk files.

[snip]

>if we have failed to do so, please let us know the specific areas
>of the amsfonts user's guide that are confusing, and we will try to
>fix them.

I use OzTeX, and I didn't have any particular trouble with the AMS founts.
But the AMSFonts Users' Guide (version 2.2 Jan 1997) has exactly no
information in it to help me work out where to put the various files.  The
Mac installation instructions are clearly very old, Textures specific, and
seem to have no connection at all with the files I actually downloaded from
CTAN.  I'm a great fan of old Macs, but even I think there's no need to
have System 6 installation instructions available in 1999 (System 6 became
obsolete in 1991 IIRC.  I use it on a couple of Macs I've got, but even
so...).

I suggest that a section needs to be written from scratch on how to install
the AMS founts for use with OzTeX.

[snip]

Rowland.

[1]  OzTeX's usual dvi driver can't use pfb files at all AFAIK; it can use
LWFN files if you've got ATM installed or you're printing to a PS printer.
OzTeX can use pfb, pfa, or LWFN files if you're using its built-in version
of dvips to prepare a PS file; but for that to be worthwhile, you do need a
PS printer.