Re: Why are tty-char.tmac and tty.tmac separate files?

[Ingo Schwarze]

Hi Branden,

G. Branden Robinson wrote on Sun, Jul 31, 2022 at 05:10:01PM -0500:
> At 2022-07-31T20:02:52+0200, Ingo Schwarze wrote:
>> G. Branden Robinson wrote on Sat, Jul 16, 2022 at 12:05:55AM -0500:

>>> I added fallbacks in tty.char for \[fm] and \[sd] (both CSTR #54
>>> glyphs) in May 2021.  I seem to remember that Ingo followed suit
>>> at least for the latter in mdoc.

>> mandoc renders as follows:
>> 
>> input:    \(fm
>> -T ascii: U+0027 APOSTROPHE-QUOTE
>> -T utf8:  U+2032 PRIME
>> 
>> input:    \(sd
>> -T ascii: U+0022 QUOTATION MARK
>> -T utf8:  U+2033 DOUBLE PRIME
>> 
>> The latest related commits are:
>> 
>> mandoc/chars.c revision 1.51
>> date: 2022/06/26 20:30:00;  author: schwarze;  state: Exp;  lines: +2 -2;
>> In groff commit 78e66624 on May 7 20:15:33 2021 +1000,
>> G. Branden Robinson changed the -T ascii rendering
>> of \(sd, the "second" symbol, U+2033 DOUBLE PRIME, from '' to ".
>> Follow suit in mandoc.
>> 
>> mandoc/chars.in revision 1.24
>> date: 2014/10/29 03:34:26;  author: schwarze;  state: Exp;  lines: +20 -20;
>> Some fine tuning of console rendering of named special characters.
>> Correct ASCII rendering: \(lb \(<> \(sd    # <=== look here ===<
>> Make ASCII rendering agree with groff, using backspace overstrike:
>> \(da \(ua \(dA \(uA \(fa \(c* \(c+ \(ib \(ip \(/_ \(pp \(is \(dd \(dg
>> 
>> Essentially, rev. 1.24 changed " to '' to agree with groff.

> In 2014, I point out, seeking furiously to escape blame for churn...

:-)

>> That was reverted by Branden in 2021 and i followed again,
>> even though with a significant delay caused by lazyness on my part.
>> 
>> The mandoc ASCII rendering of \(fm has been stable since it was
>> first supported in 2009.

> There's just no way rendering \(sd the same as \(fm was right.

Neither groff nor mandoc ever did such a thing,
and i did not intend to imply such a claim.

AFAIK, mandoc and groff -T ascii renderung of \(fm
always was         *single* U+0027 APOSTROPHE-QUOTE = '

-T ascii renderung of \(sd was:
mandoc 2009-2014:  U+0022 QUOTATION MARK = "
mandoc 2014-2022:  *double* U+0027 APOSTROPHE-QUOTE = ''
groff until 2021:  *double* U+0027 APOSTROPHE-QUOTE = ''
groff since 2021:  U+0022 QUOTATION MARK = "
mandoc since 2002: U+0022 QUOTATION MARK = " again

> In the U.S., with our antiquated system of weights and measurements,
> it is still common to represent measurements like overpass clearances
> on freeways with signs saying things like
> 
>   11'8"
> 
> ...a length I do not choose at random, but in homage to a source of
> immense, dark entertainment, as "American" as it gets.
> 
> http://11foot8.com/

Maybe if the signs said:  11"+8" (= 19" = 48cm)
truck drivers would be more wary and less often try to sneak past below
during some instant when the bridge is not looking.  ;)

> Indeed I know that very location, having lived in Durham, NC for
> about a year and a half once.

Heh.  I hope that bridge didn't give you a haircut, then.

> And of course these symbols are still used globally in the
> degrees-minutes-seconds representation of angle measures.

Yours,
  Ingo