Graphics in Linux using C

[Les Mikesell]

On Sun, 2006-02-12 at 01:37, Nimit Dhulekar wrote:

> > > I had a query regarding ps files and their generation from tex
> > > files. The ps file has a whole bunch of numbers and alphabets
> > > between the text like for the line "This is an abstract" we
> > > have something like
> > >
> > > Fn(This)p 172 1761 26 4 v 196
> > > 1761 56 4 v 26 w(is)p 249 1761 26 4 v 273 1761 86 4 v
> > > 26 w(an)p 356 1761 26 4 v 380 1761 86 4 v 26 w(ab)p 461
> > > 1761 197 4 v(stract)-92 1828 y(.)j
> > >
> > > These kind of seemingly random numbers prop up for any ps
> > > file. Could anyone tell me what these numbers and alphabets
> > > signify ie basically what kind of translation takes place when
> > > tex file gets converted to ps.
> >
> > PostScript is a programming language. A DVI file generated by TeX
> > is converted into a PostScript program, and executing that
> > program creates the graphics output. The numbers and alpahabets
> > are function calls and their parameters. The functions are
> > defined somewhere in the beginning of the program.

> Could you be a bit more specific about the positioning of these
> functions and what do the parameters passed to them signify?

Postscript is a stack oriented language like forth.  Numbers that
appear before a function name are pushed on the stack.  The function
can pop off and push back whatever it wants. 

-- 
  Les Mikesell
   lesmikesell at gmail.com