From: A8131DAL%AWIUNI11.BITNET@SHSU.edu (Peter Schmitt)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Curious behaviour of \message
Date: 26 Sep 92 15:26:13 GMT
Organization: Info-Tex<==>Comp.Text.Tex Gateway
X-Gateway-Source-Info: Mailing List


Recently, when I upgraded from TeX 3.1 (sbTeX34) to TeX 3.141 (sbTeX38)
I noticed - quite accidently - a curious difference between the LOG-files
obtained by the two versions.
I got interested and did some comparisons.
The results can be seen below (file differences as shown be FC of DOS 5.0).
They are obtained using the *same* version of PLAIN.tex (3.141),
processing it either with TeX 3.1 or TeX 3.141,
either directly:
    initex plain
    (the \dump given interactively)
or via a short file
    initex inplain
where INPLAIN.tex is as follows:
    \input plain
    \dump

One would expect that the main body of the resulting LOG-file would be
the same in all four cases. They are, however, all different!
You will notice that the \message command acts differently (but only in some
cases, and not consistently), sometimes producing a <cr>, and sometimes a
<space>.

The differences in cases (a) and (b) must be due to some changes from
TeX 3.1 to TeX 3.141, though undocumented (?) ones.
But since (as far as I see it) both methods to process plain.tex should be
equivalent there should be no differences in cases (c) and (d).

Does someone have an explanation for this?

Peter

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The results of the comparisons:

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
(a) comparison of: INITEX plain
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

***** TEX31.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.1(c)sb34 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:36
** plain
***** TEX3141.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.141(c)sb38 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:37
** plain
*****

***** TEX31.LOG
\interfootnotelinepenalty=\count24

fonts, more fonts,
\itfam=\fam4
***** TEX3141.LOG
\interfootnotelinepenalty=\count24
 fonts,
more fonts,
\itfam=\fam4
*****

***** TEX31.LOG
\topins=\insert253

hyphenation (hyphen.tex))
*\dump
Beginning to dump on file plain.sb3
 (preloaded format=plain 92.9.22)
1919 strings of total length 27013
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
***** TEX3141.LOG
\topins=\insert253
 hyphenation (hyphen.tex))
*\dump
Beginning to dump on file plain.SB8
 (preloaded format=plain 92.9.22)
1921 strings of total length 27112
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
*****

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
(b) comparison of: INITEX inplain
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

***** INPT31.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.1(c)sb34 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:42
** inplain
***** INPT3141.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.141(c)sb38 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:40
** inplain
*****

***** INPT31.LOG
\p@renwd=\dimen15

output routines,
\headline=\toks10
***** INPT3141.LOG
\p@renwd=\dimen15
 output routines,
\headline=\toks10
*****

***** INPT31.LOG
\topins=\insert253
 hyphenation (hyphen.tex)) )
Beginning to dump on file inplain.sb3
 (preloaded format=inplain 92.9.22)
1921 strings of total length 27035
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
***** INPT3141.LOG
\topins=\insert253

hyphenation (hyphen.tex)) )
Beginning to dump on file inplain.SB8
 (preloaded format=inplain 92.9.22)
1923 strings of total length 27134
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
*****

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
(c) comparison using TeX 3.1
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

***** TEX31.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.1(c)sb34 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:36
** plain
(plain.tex Preloading the plain format: codes, registers,
\maxdimen=\dimen10
***** INPT31.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.1(c)sb34 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:42
** inplain
(inplain.tex (plain.tex Preloading the plain format: codes, registers,
\maxdimen=\dimen10
*****

***** TEX31.LOG
\voidb@x=\box10
 parameters,
\smallskipamount=\skip13
***** INPT31.LOG
\voidb@x=\box10

parameters,
\smallskipamount=\skip13
*****

***** TEX31.LOG
\interfootnotelinepenalty=\count24

fonts, more fonts,
\itfam=\fam4
***** INPT31.LOG
\interfootnotelinepenalty=\count24
 fonts, more fonts,
\itfam=\fam4
*****

***** TEX31.LOG
\p@renwd=\dimen15
 output routines,
\headline=\toks10
***** INPT31.LOG
\p@renwd=\dimen15

output routines,
\headline=\toks10
*****

***** TEX31.LOG
\topins=\insert253

hyphenation (hyphen.tex))
*\dump
Beginning to dump on file plain.sb3
 (preloaded format=plain 92.9.22)
1919 strings of total length 27013
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
***** INPT31.LOG
\topins=\insert253
 hyphenation (hyphen.tex)) )
Beginning to dump on file inplain.sb3
 (preloaded format=inplain 92.9.22)
1921 strings of total length 27035
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
*****

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
(d) comparison using TeX 3.141
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

***** TEX3141.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.141(c)sb38 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:37
** plain
(plain.tex Preloading the plain format: codes, registers,
\maxdimen=\dimen10
***** INPT3141.LOG
This is TeX, Version 3.141(c)sb38 (INITEX)
22 SEP 1992 23:40
** inplain
(inplain.tex (plain.tex Preloading the plain format: codes, registers,
\maxdimen=\dimen10
*****

***** TEX3141.LOG
\voidb@x=\box10
 parameters,
\smallskipamount=\skip13
***** INPT3141.LOG
\voidb@x=\box10

parameters,
\smallskipamount=\skip13
*****

***** TEX3141.LOG
\interfootnotelinepenalty=\count24
 fonts,
more fonts,
\itfam=\fam4
***** INPT3141.LOG
\interfootnotelinepenalty=\count24
 fonts, more fonts,
\itfam=\fam4
*****

***** TEX3141.LOG
\topins=\insert253
 hyphenation (hyphen.tex))
*\dump
Beginning to dump on file plain.SB8
 (preloaded format=plain 92.9.22)
1921 strings of total length 27112
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
***** INPT3141.LOG
\topins=\insert253

hyphenation (hyphen.tex)) )
Beginning to dump on file inplain.SB8
 (preloaded format=inplain 92.9.22)
1923 strings of total length 27134
4839 memory locations dumped; current usage is 110&4726
*****

Peter Schmitt                                        a8131dal@awiuni11.bitnet
                                                        schmitt@awirap.bitnet
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Institute of Mathematics                                     Strudlhofgasse 4
University of Vienna                                              A-1090 Wien
                                                                      Austria