A question about spacing

[Rebecca and Rowland]

At 7:18 pm -0500 2/6/98, Alan Jeffrey wrote:
[snip]
>I think this qualifies as a feature, not a bug, especially since it's
>easy to code round (well, as easy as anything with fontinst is).  Just
>create a file `dostretch.mtx' or similar, containing:
>
>   \ifisint{stretchword} \then \setint{fontdimen(3)}{\int{stretchword}}
>\fi
>   \ifisint{shrinkword}  \then \setint{fontdimen(4)}{\int{shrinkword}}
>\fi
>   \ifisint{extraspace}  \then \setint{fontdimen(7)}{\int{extraspace}}
>\fi
>
>and read it in at the appropriate place, eg:
>
>
>\installfont{ecorm0500}{ecrm0500,tcrm0500,dostretch}{T19}{T1}{cmor}{m}{n}{<5>}

Right - this makes sense.  I take it that the various
stretch/shrink/extra-space parameters used are those set by the *first* pl
file?

And I notice that the value of space is slightly different after fontinst
has waved its magic wand:

--- ecorm1000.pl                --- ecrm1000.pl
(FONTDIMEN			(FONTDIMEN
   (SLANT R 0.0)		   (SLANT R 0.0)
   (SPACE R 0.332996)		   (SPACE R 0.333252)

It's not a very big difference (0.08%).  Is this due to a rounding error
somewhere?

Rowland
(more curious than concerned)