Copyright (C) 1989-2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Copying and distribution of this file, with or without
modification, are permitted in any medium without royalty provided
the copyright notice and this notice are preserved.
This is the 'groff' document formatting system, a reimplementation and
extension of the AT&T Unix 'troff' system. The version number is given
in the file '.tarball-version' if you are building from a distribution
archive; otherwise, building from its Git repository will store it in
the file '.version'.
This release includes original implementations (not derived from AT&T
Unix code) of the 'troff', 'nroff', 'pic', 'eqn', 'tbl', 'refer', and
'soelim' programs; the 'man' and 'ms' macro packages; and output drivers
for PostScript, PDF, and TeX DVI file formats, HP LaserJet 4- and Canon
CaPSL-compatible printers, HTML and XHTML (in beta status), and
typewriter/terminal devices.
It also provides modified versions of BSD Unix additions to Unix troff:
the 'grn' preprocessor, and the 'mdoc' and 'me' macro packages.
'gxditview', an enhanced version of the X11 'xditview' previewer for
'troff' device-independent output, originates from X11R5.
Contributed components feature a reimplementation and extension of the
DWB 'troff' 'mm' macro package by Joergen Haegg, Peter Schaffter's 'mom'
macro package, and Bernd Warken's reimplementation of the 'chem'
preprocessor in Perl.
See the file 'INSTALL.extra' for instructions on how to install from a
distribution archive, such as a release, beta, or release candidate.
The file 'INSTALL.REPO' contains supplementary instructions for building
directly from a clone of the Git repository.
The file 'NEWS' contains a history of user-visible changes to 'groff'.
'groff' is free software. See the file 'COPYING' for copying
permissions, and 'LICENSES' for further detail.
The file 'PROBLEMS' describes various issues that users have encountered
in compiling, installing, and running 'groff'.
The file 'MORE.STUFF' describes some third-party programming and
documentary resources useful with 'groff'.
Current and historical releases of 'groff' are available via HTTPS and
anonymous FTP from the host 'ftp.gnu.org' in the directory 'gnu/groff'.
'groff' has a home page at the GNU Project.
https://www.gnu.org/software/groff/
Administration of the project is done through GNU Savannah.
https://savannah.gnu.org/git/?group=groff
'groff' is developed at its Git repository, which has a web interface.
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/groff.git
You can view any commit in isolation, and browse the entire source tree
corresponding to its state as of that commit. Click the summary line of
the commit message to expose these options.
Build requirements are discussed in the 'INSTALL.extra' and
'INSTALL.REPO' files noted above. 'groff' also has runtime
dependencies.
Ghostscript is required for creation of PDF and (X)HTML output.
Production of (X)HTML furthermore demands tools from the 'netpbm' and
'psutils' packages.
Perl is required for production of PDF output using the 'gropdf' output
driver. (You can alternatively produce PostScript with 'grops' and
convert that to PDF using Ghostscipt.) The 'chem', 'gperl', and
'gpinyin' preprocessors and several utilities, such as 'grog', are also
written in Perl.
If 'groff' is configured with 'lp' or 'lpr' support, the corresponding
program must remain available on the system for the 'groff' command's
'-l' option to work. Similarly, build-time detection of development
headers for the 'uchardet', 'Xaw', and 'Xmu' libraries (and their
dependencies) assumes that their runtime counterparts will remain
installed to support the 'groff' that is built.
You can view or add to to groff's bug database via its issue tracker on
the Savannah site (also linked from the groff home page).
http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=groff
To report a problem, you may use the form in the file 'BUG-REPORT'; its
purpose is to make sure that FSF has all the information it needs to fix
the bug. At the very least, read the 'BUG-REPORT' form and make sure
that you supply all the information that it asks for. Even if you are
not sure that something is a bug, please report it so we can determine
whether it is a software defect, or an omission from our documentation.
If you'd like to modify 'groff' or participate in its development, files
'HACKING' and 'MANIFEST' will familiarize you with the structure of the
code and the project's conventions for maintaining it.
Three mailing lists are available.
bug-groff@gnu.org a read-only list for following bug reports
groff@gnu.org for general discussion of groff
groff-commit@gnu.org a read-only list for following commits
to the Git repository
To subscribe, send a mail to <list>-request@<domain> (example:
groff-request@gnu.org for the 'groff' list) with the word 'subscribe'
in either the subject or body of the email (don't include the quotes).
Alternatively, subscribe via our web pages by completing an HTML form.
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-groff
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/groff
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/groff-commit
Each of these web pages also provides a link to a browseable archive of
postings to the corresponding mailing list.
'groff' was primarily written by James Clark <jjc@jclark.com>.
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