Re: [Groff] problem with current snapshot

[Joerg van den Hoff]

On Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 05:48:21PM +0100, Werner LEMBERG wrote:
> > 1.)
> > contrary to earlier versions, this one did initially _not_ compile
> > due to a probably simple problem: utilities such as `xpmtoppm' which
> > are used during documentation generation are not present under OSX
> > und not even available via the package systems (fink, port).
> 
> xpmtoppm is part of the netpbm bundle.  It's only needed if you build
> from CVS.
a yes, larry already said so. and there it is in the package system.
> 
> > question: could the makefile be modified so that it checks for
> > availability of the conversion tools and maybe even tries whether it
> > can use `convert' instead?
> 
> This is not necessary: Joe User doesn't compile from the CVS.
by and large I'm joe user myself: I'm simply after the recent MathML facility,
otherwise I would contently wait for the next official release :-). but for the
next dummy: maybe you could at least capture the `xpmtoppm' not found error and
emit a hint that one should install the `netpbm' package (as I did now)?

and while I'm at it: the MathML only concerns me as a potential means of
transporting equations to some publisher. so I tried the `eqn -TMathML' option
on some equation and got some strange one-line output, probably MathML markup.
supposedly some browsers should be able to display such stuff (the gecko family
at least) but none reckognizes the file as such. question: what is the correct
way to procede: do I need doclifter to transfer this further?  how can I test
the integrity/quality of the MathML output? are there free editors (apart from 
installing some hundred Meg OpenOffice first)?

if 'RTFMs' is the appropriate answer: don't hesitate. I'll do it, then (but
please tell me, which) ...
> 
> > after solving(?) point 1 above compile went through. the first test
> > of the installed snapshot now yields more problems:
> > 
> > I get _lots_ of errors: " `\E' is not allowed in an escape name"
> 
> Uh, oh, this was me yesterday.  Will check it soon.
> 
thanks haven. I thought OSX was going to be ranked as "unsupported weenie
platform" ;-)

joerg