From hub!ucsd!ucbvax!agate!web-3h!c60c-3eb Sat Mar 3 17:19:21 PST 1990 Article 5979 of rec.arts.anime: Path: hub!ucsd!ucbvax!agate!web-3h!c60c-3eb >From: c60c-3eb@web-3h.berkeley.edu (David Mou) Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime Subject: News Isreal Message-ID: <1990Mar3.014028.26085@agate.berkeley.edu> Date: 3 Mar 90 01:40:28 GMT Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator;;;;ZU44) Reply-To: c60c-3eb@web-3h (David Mou) Distribution: usa Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 93 Summary: do you believe RoboTeX is the most widely used, most referred, and yet the most controversial text formatter ever created. Written by the brilliant programmer, now (in)- famous, Carol Macex, RoboTex is actually based on another original text formatting program, writting by the Japanese firm Shogakukan for the younger, less experienced TeX users, called "Macros." The principle behind "Macros" is simple. It's main routine is called the Sentential Definition Formulator version 1, and it's main purpose is to locate certain passages in the entered text, convert them via some algorithm, and reinsert them back into the paragraph. Due to it's programming simplicity, the ProtoCommand only allows one definition per passage, thus retains the overall intergrity of the whole passage. What Carol Macex did, and now being accused of, is to revise the SDF-1 so that, depending on the context, the SDF can assign different phrases, sentences, or sometimes even paragraphs, per one passage. The new version, which now called SDF-2 (and rumor has it that SDF-3 is pending to release in the near future.), employs three main modes of text reformulations, namely the Guardian, the Freelancer, and the Both Select (aka BS mode). Ms. Macex also expanded the ProtoCommand's definitions to incorporate, not only that from "Macros" but also from "Sector Cross" and "Mospeed Type", all of them text formatting programs from different Japanese software firms. The end result is a complicated, sometimes brilliant, mostly confusing mesh of interlooping routines that only selected few programmers can sort out. And thanks to the genius of Ms. Macex "RoboTex" is realized. For a while, everyone was happy. The program achieves tremendous success and user satisfaction, when mainly the original "Macros" routines were employed. But the honeymoon came to an abrupt end when the experienced "RoboTex" users found inconsistencies in the inputed wordings and the final output. It is most visible when one of the three main modes, the Guardian, Freelancer, or Both Select, were used. Here are the examples. The Guardian mode (to censor out unwanted words so to protect the young, innocent, American readers) original text: \say{roy}{ Claudia! What the f@ck is in the salad?!} output: Roy Fokker Claudia, what is in the salad? The Freelance mode (to replace context sensitive sentences with more suitable ones, so to protect the young, innocent, American readers) original text: %% Those stupid Americans will never get this one \say{roy}{ For the last time, Misa, my name is FOOW-KHER!! And you, Hikaru, stop laughing...!} output Roy Fokker Roger, Lisa! Enemy at sector 69-23. Rick, follow me....! And finally the BS mode (replacing key words/phrases/sentences to change the overall flavor of the story, to protect the young .... {arrgh, shut up}) original text: \say{roy}{ Hikaru, tell Claudia that b@tch to f@ck herself!!} \describe{ Rock & Roll music jams as sharp metallic objects pierce Roy's lower anatomy, like OUCH!} output: Roy Fokker Rick, say goodbye to Claudia for me.... solumn music backgrounds the slowing burning plane, and suddenly the machine bursts into a great ball of flame....... Despite it's many short comings, RoboTeX nevertheless opened new possibilities for formatted text output on the East side of the Pacific, where before there were only "Wordstar Blazers" and "Speed Writer". Although it (occasionally) deprives the meaning of the original text it nevertheless give new creative possibilities. Carol Macex, Satan or Saint? Only time will tell.