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<p><font size="-1">Dear Membersl,<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="-1">"I have, with sadness (1), dipped into the public
exchanges about dissolution of UK-TUG over the past couple of
years (2). I have been but a passive member wishing to maintain
a connection with a straightforward markup language that
promotes content over typography in the production of printed
material (3) because it focusses the mind of the author on
content over appearance (4)."</font></p>
<font size="-1">The above recent contribution adds focus to what has
been taking place (2). The following is offered in the same spirit
of sadness (1), and noting there has not been an announcement of
an annual general meetings via the tug.org/uktug.org web sites
since 2019.<br>
<br>
Systems fail for one or more of three reasons. 1. An internal
subsystem failure. 2. The system and environment are at odds. 3.
Human interference.<br>
<br>
Tex as a 'system' is functioning, it appears to fit its
environment and is adaptable after many years of use, and is
perhaps impervious to interference.<br>
<br>
When considering UKTUG as a system, its subsystem TEX is in
working order, but UKTUG may not necessarily fit its environment,
and may be subject to human interference (ie. from what the above
quote is taken).<br>
<br>
The last UKTUG DVD issue did not function in this Ubuntu use of
Linux for two reasons. If TEX was available but unusable within
an existing Ubuntu system, then it interfered with the new
installation. If the computer was reprogrammed without the
pre-installed TEX, the DVD version still did not function because
(according to a USTUG member) a vital sub program had not been
included in the DVD (ie. It had been removed from the system).
However, a TEX version that operates could be downloaded from the
US; which would make the cost and issue of the UKTUG DVD seem
unnecessary (for a Linux OS at least).<br>
<br>
It is suggested that there is potential for UKTUG to make use of
their funds in an innovative manner, using (a) university
student(s).<br>
<br>
It has been observed that there are two unfilled UTF8 slots. Those
of the 'shorthand' functions. It is suspected that this is because
all (European) text manipulation places one 'symbol' after the
other successively and horizontally as in his Wordpro text, mapped
to the keyboard. However, for shorthand (ie. in either of the two
main systems Gregg or Pitman) symbols need to be joined
successively diagonally or downwards in addition to horizontally.
A program has been produced already that provides Gregg using TEX,
but the author keeps it close; so we know it is possible. However,
it would be possible to use TEX to produce very many other non
European 'texts' without having to construct thousands of
preformed symbols (ie as in Chinese, or Japanese) by providing a
set of program symbols that may be manipulated appropriate to the
language word symbol construct. As all written languages since the
Phoenicians and Egyptians are based on phonetic symbols (as with
shorthand - the simplest of forms), it is possible for TEX to
provide a universal language in a shorthand form for the first
time (3 & 4) that can be 'read' phonetically by all and
translate. Even better would be a version that could be modified
as in this text and that at the beginning. Anyone having worked in
Japan (or China probably) will understand what this is all about.<br>
<br>
This offering will have many errors (or mistakes) as a UKTUG/TEX
life support, but it tried.<br>
<br>
best wishes,<br>
</font>
<p><font size="-1"> derek heckle</font></p>
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