Re: Differences in `ne` and `bp` line-breaking behavior

[Peter Schaffter]

On Wed, Dec 04, 2024, Douglas McIlroy wrote:
> I don't see this wording as an improvement:
> 
> >   .ne d    Advance drawing position to the next vertical
> >            position trap and spring the trap, if it is
> >            nearer than distance d (default scaling unit v).
> 
> The proposal uses nonstandard terminology ("drawing position"),
> and is ambiguously worded. It is easy to misread "if" as applying
> only to the "spring" clause rather than to the compound of
> "advance" and "spring".
> 
> Also .ne is effective in the absence of traps, a fact that groff(7)
> misses, too.

How about

.ne d   Spring the next vertical postion trap if it is nearer than
        distance d (default scaling unit v).  In the absence of a
        trap, break to a new page if page bottom is nearer than d.

Removes grammatical ambiguity and covers all the bases.

-- 
Peter Schaffter
https://www.schaffter.ca