HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bkph@wheat-chex.ai.mit.edu (Berthold K.P. Horn)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: Help with LucidaMath fonts
Date: 24 Jan 93 19:45:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: life.1jurkpINNkfb
Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab
NNTP-Posting-Host: wheat-chex.ai.mit.edu
In-reply-to: dhosek@hmcvax.claremont.edu's message of 24 Jan 93 18:53:52 GMT


In article <1993Jan24.105352.1@hmcvax.claremont.edu> dhosek@hmcvax.claremont.edu writes:

   > In article <1jpel3INN2mn@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> dundas@chip.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (John Dundas) writes:

   >    I have the Adobe Lucida Math fonts and their .pl files but have not been
   >    able to get all of the math characters to print properly (I am using
   >    pltotf and dvips V5.495).  Can anyone offer any pointers?

   > You need to note that Adobe doesn't believe in the `control character'
   > positions, so all of the characters you'd expect to be in in the 0 -- 31
   > range appear instead in the 161 -- 195 range.  They also like a space in
   > position 32. One way to fix this is to reencode the font.  That is, change
   > the assignments in the Encoding vector to correspond to those in Computer
   > Modern math fonts.

   > How to do this is a function of what platform you are on - something you
   > don't mention.  On Unix, with PFA files you can edit the file directly,
   > since it is plain ASCII.  You need to change the AFM file also if you are on
   > NeXT using Display PostScript. 

   > On the PC you have to convert the compact binary PFB file to PFA form, edit,
   > and convert back to PFB (using PFBtoPFA and PFAtoPFB say - or just use
   > REENCODE directly).  If you are using the font in MS Windows, you'll have to
   > make up a new PFM metric file (using AFMtoPFM say).

   If you're using dvips (which by my guess is fairly likely), you
   can do  the remapping via VF files. I have some vague
   recollection that Karl Berry and someone else from England whose
   name I don't remember (terribly sorry) have done the work of

Sebastian Rahtz is his name...

   getting the Adobe Lucida fonts working under TeX. I'm sure
   they'll post some more on the topic.

   Reencode the fonts... hmmph!

   -dh

Better yet, if your driver supports it, you can have the fonts reencoded
on-the-fly  --- no need to change any font files --- and no need for virtual
fonts  (This also has the advantage of making unencoded characters
accessible, something a mere permutation of the encoding vector cannot do).

Berthold K.P. Horn
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
From: eijkhout@cupid.cs.utk.edu (Victor Eijkhout)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: Macintosh to run TeX/LaTex
Date: 23 Jan 93 16:52:18
Organization: /pearl/homes/eijkhout/.organization
NNTP-Posting-Host: cupid.cs.utk.edu
In-reply-to: tim@maths.tcd.ie's message of 23 Jan 93 03:19:48 GMT

In article <1993Jan23.031948.16229@maths.tcd.ie> tim@maths.tcd.ie (Timothy Murphy) writes:

   I'm sure TeXtures is technically superior to OzTeX.
   On the other hand TeX is TeX is TeX ...
   if it runs then it doesn't much matter where it runs.

Hm. I would never go back to an MSDOS version with such
a sorry excuse for an 'integrated environment'. 
I love Textures.

--
Victor Eijkhout ................................ `There are also a few bugs,
Department of Computer Science .......... though not as many as I've come to
University of Tennessee ............... expect in new [MS]Windows products.'
Knoxville TN 37919 ................................ (from a software review)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex,comp.text
From: tony2@prefect.cc.bellcore.com (gozdz,antoni s)
Subject: Re: Looking For A Spell Checker + Suggester
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 15:11:04 GMT

In article <lm6pq7INN5fi@latexo.cs.utexas.edu> brazile@cs.utexas.edu (P. Jason Brazile) writes:
>>Are you sure it's there? I could not find the
>>pub/jspell directory.
>
>Yes, I am sure that it is there.
>For most of the world, math.utexas.edu = 128.83.133.215. 
>
>Jason Brazile 					brazile@cs.utexas.edu

Sorry, folks. It's there, and it works (on my Compaq)!

Tony
tony2@cc.bellcore.com
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: lubkin@cs.rochester.edu (Saul Lubkin)
Subject: xdvi display problem:  Some lines are distorted.
Organization: Computer Science Department University of Rochester
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 02:58:43 GMT

I'm having a problem with the display of xdvi.  While it generally works
well, some lines come out distorted.  Namely, they come partly "doubled up".
That is, these few lines seem to be partially printed twice, slightly offset
(vertically) from each other.  Somethines, a whole line comes out that way;
more often, part of a line.   The "doubling" is usually only partial -- that
is, part of the line is printed at one height, and part vertically offset a bit.

I'm using ISC Unix 3.0 (same problem with 2.2.1), a version of SVR3.2 for
the '386.  I've compiled with gcc, cc, and with every conceivable compile time
option -- including "-DNOTOOL", etc.  Dispalying with unshrunk fonts
("-s 1") doesn't help.  The same problem occurrs using Dell Unix SVR4.0.

I'm using MetroLink's X, X11R4 -- but, as I recall, I had the same problem
with other servers (e.g., ISC's native server).  I'm using an Orchid
ProDesigner card; but as I recall, I had the same problem with an earlier
Trident card (I think).  The monitor is an Idek Liyama; it's in SVGA
1024x768 mode, interlaced.  (But as I recall using the monitor in other
modes produces the shame problem.)

Using MetroLink's own compiled version of xdvi, under Dell Unix SVR4.0,
was no better.  (This was also compiled by MetroLink from an earlier
release of xdvi.)

This problem seems to exist only with the xdvi client.  I haven't seen
this problem with anything else -- including other TeX previewers.  So, I
suspect that it may be a bug in xdvi.  However, no one on any other platform,
to the best of my knowledge, has reporeted this peculiar problem.

Note:  This problem does not occur if one uses dvips and ghostscript to
preview dvi files.  Or, if one uses DOS and the ArborTeX previewer.

I'm perplexed.  I'd appreciate enlightenment from someone.  As I don't always
read this newsgroup, I'd appreciate email.  I'll summarize to the net when
the problem is solved.


		Sincerely yours,

		Saul Lubkin
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: dhosek@hmcvax.claremont.edu
Subject: Re: Which is better, OzTeX or Textures?
Organization: Quixote Digital Typography
Date: 27 Jan 93 00:33:07 PST

In article <EIJKHOUT.93Jan26121248@cupid.cs.utk.edu>, eijkhout@cupid.cs.utk.edu (Victor Eijkhout) writes:
> In article <ROLFL.93Jan26102735@ulrik.uio.no> rolfl@ulrik.uio.no (Rolf Lindgren) writes:
 
> 	   It's a drawback that there's no simple way to convert bitmap (pk) fonts
> 	   to Textures fonts.
 
> Is there really a Textures font format, or is that just general Macintosh?
> In that case it is somewhat amazing that no one has written a convertor.

They have and its available for free from Blue Sky.

-dh
Xref: sparky comp.text.tex:15245 comp.sys.mac.wanted:12856 comp.sys.mac.apps:20267 comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:16952 comp.os.msdos.apps:6204
From: hofstoet@vanessa.fmi.uni-passau.de (Hans Ulrich Hofstoetter)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex,comp.sys.mac.wanted,comp.sys.mac.apps,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.os.msdos.apps
Subject: Re: Looking for a WYSIWYG TeX/LaTeX
Date: 21 Jan 1993 09:52:54 GMT
Organization: University of Passau, Germany
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: vanessa.fmi.uni-passau.de

In article <PLANIUS.93Jan15143550@hpmpi1.desy.de>, planius@hpmpi1.desy.de (P. Lanius) writes:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm not sure what the TeX experts in comp.text.tex will tell you, but IMHO
> WYSIWYG and LaTeX is a contradiction since the basic idea of TeX is not to
> be a WYSIWYG word processor. So all you can aim for is a more user friendly
> interface to typesetting formulas/tables in LaTeX. The only program I know
> about is Scientific Word (for Windows) which allows formula generation with
> prdefined buttons to click on. But still everything is translated to LaTeX
> commands. As usual a previewer is used to see the result. Although the
> current version is not capable of handling tables/footnotes in a special
> manner (could of course be done using LaTeX commands) this program seems to
> be quite useful. Due to the splitting of the source in plain text and ma-
> thematics also spell checking is possible.
> All in all it's gives you as much WYSIWYG feeling as LaTeX allows.
> 
> Peter
> --

I agree. LaTeX won't be WYSIWYG (but tell me if you make it).
But how about Scientific Word. Do you have some more information on it 
(sharewar, ftp, etc ...). Please let me know.
Another thing i'm looking for is a TeX previewer for windows, supporting the
font libraries. Does it exist? Where?

Thanks in advance 

****************************************************************
hofstoet@eva.fmi.uni-passau.de
****************************************************************
...if you confront the Black Lodge with imperfect courage,
it will utterly annihilate your soul".
                               Hawk - Deputy of Twin Peaks
From: rkline@mcs.drexel.edu (Robert Kline)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: help with dvips --> HP laserjet
Date: 21 Jan 93 15:39:28 GMT
Organization: Drexel University, Dept. of Math. and Comp. Sci.

I would appreciate some help on printing .dvi files on an HP laserjet III
printer with postscript cartridge installed.

The .dvi file is the output of a simple LaTeX file (sample.tex). When I
use dvips to convert it to a .ps file and route it to the printer, 
the printed output is grainy. In contrast, when routed to a NeXT 400dpi
printer, the printed output is beautiful (as expected).

I image this problems has something to do with the fonts that dvips uses,
but I don't know where to start to solve it. 

I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance for your help.

Robert Kline
email: rkline@mcs.drexel.edu
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: benjie@quack.sac.ca.us (Android)
Subject: Print .dvi files to a DJ500, How???
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'.
Date: 22 Jan 1993 22:15:57 UTC

How do I print a .dvi file to a HP DJ500 ?  I am running Linux with TeX
and LaTeX
Benjie

-- 
     BBB		Benjie Chen
    BCCCB 		benjie@quack.sac.ca.us
    BCCCB		No Axiomatic System Could Produce All Number-
     BBB		Theoretical Truths, Unless It Is Inconsistent.
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: yucao001@romulus.spd.louisville.edu (Yu Cao)
Subject: Converting TeX to other forms?
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 20:01:57 GMT
Organization: University of Louisville
Keywords: filters, TeX

Hi, Guys

I have a whole bunch of TeX files to convert to other forms like ileaf, wp. But
I cannot find any filter whatsoever. Any help? Thanx.

-- Yu
From: <barr@triples.Math.McGill.CA>
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Two questions
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 20:03:58 EST
Organization: Info-Tex<==>Comp.Text.Tex Gateway
X-Gateway-Source-Info: Mailing List


In response to the two questions I asked earlier, I got some answers to
the first that were helpful, and I was able to modify one of the answers
to the second.  First, it appears that using the latex definition of
\raggedright, it will hyphenate, but not readily.  It can be encouraged
by replacing the definition, which is equivalent to
\def\raggedright{\rightskip 0pt plus 1 fil \leftskip 0pt \leftskip 0pt}
with one in which the \rightskip stretchability is somewhat less than
infinity.  In my case (which was an extreme one, since I was using a
20pt font in a column only 132pt wide), 100pt seemed to work well,
although perhaps less would have sufficed).  Second, it is helpful to
reduce the \hyphenpenalty to 0 or even slightly negative.

The second question, that of formatting numbers to insert a comma every
third place, is somewhat more nuanced, as I knew, and neither of the two
solutions I received worked right for all numbers.  Since all my numbers
had fewer than 6 digits, the following seems to work, as far as I have
tested it.  It is a modification of one of the answers.  One that will
work in general would take more work.  The problem is to suppress
leading zeroes at the beginning of a number, while not suppressing them
beyond that point.

\def\The#1{%
    \ifnum#1=0 000
    \else \ifnum#1<10 00\the#1
          \else \ifnum#1<100 0\the#1
                \else\the#1
                \fi
          \fi
    \fi}
\newcount\a \newcount\b
\def\fnumber#1{\a=#1 \b=\a \ifnum#1<1000 \$#1 \else \$%
     \divide\a by 1000 \the\a,\multiply\a by 1000 \advance\b by -\a
\The\b\fi}

Michael Barr
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: kubipdal@uts.uni-c.dk (Peter Dalg}rd)
Subject: Re: when is whitespace ignored by LaTeX?
Organization: UNI-C, Danish Computing Centre for Research and Education
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 12:06:36 GMT

In <1993Jan25.213654.29814@eng.ufl.edu> ruck@alpha.ee.ufl.edu (John R Ruckstuhl Jr) writes:

>Would someone give me a few rules of thumb w.r.t. ignorable whitespace?
[...snip...]

>    \multiput(12,0)(200,0){2}{                  % 2 columns
>\multiput(0,883)(0,-133){7}{\framebox(200,133){\parbox[b]{1.75in}{yakyak}}}
>    }

>but really, what's the right way to be able to use indentation for
>readability?
[...snip...]

I also got fed up of this, so now I routinely start my macro sections
with setting the \catcode of SPC TAB and RET to 9 (ignore). This is
an immense relief. Only problem is when you need those characters
in text strings - you then have to quote those characters (which\ 
can\ be\ somewhat\ annoying) -- or, which is probably a better idea
for other reasons as well, assign the strings to control sequences
at the top of the file, before messing with the catcodes. 

It can be quite educating to do this to one of the 'official' style
files, insert formatting characters to your hearts content, and then
find that you suddenly understand what's going on...

	Peter Dalgaard

PS: Don't forget to set the \catcode-s back, of course.
From: staley@unixg.ubc.ca (Donald R Staley)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: SBMF13 for MS-DOS PC'S Help Wanted
Date: 28 Jan 93 03:43:09 GMT
Organization: The University of British Columbia
NNTP-Posting-Host: unixg.ubc.ca

I wish to use use SBMF to generate both the TFM
and GF files but only the GF file is generated.

Any suggestions?
From: dundas@chip.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (John Dundas)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Help with LucidaMath fonts
Date: 22 Jan 1993 18:33:07 GMT
Organization: Information Systems Engineering Grp, JPL
NNTP-Posting-Host: chip.jpl.nasa.gov

I have the Adobe Lucida Math fonts and their .pl files but have not been
able to get all of the math characters to print properly (I am using
pltotf and dvips V5.495).  Can anyone offer any pointers?

Thanks in advance.

John Dundas
dundas@salt.jpl.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: kruger@hml.uiowa.edu (Anton Kruger)
Subject: Keycap font for LaTeX
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 04:28:46 GMT
Organization: Computational Laboratory For Water Resources & Hydrometeorology, Univ. of Iowa

I am looking for a ``Keycap'' font (macro?) for use in LaTeX. That is,
a font that produces a likeness on the keys on a computer keyboard. I
am writing a manual for a computer program, and it would be nice to
have a keycap symbol for the SHIFT, cursor, and other keys.

Thank you all.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anton Kruger                                       kruger@hml01.hml.uiowa.edu
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: loesch@bl.physik.tu-muenchen.de (Andi Loesch)
Subject: Q: \thispagestyle{empty} on float page?
Organization: Leibniz-Rechenzentrum, Muenchen (Germany)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 14:10:02 GMT

Hi [La]TeXers!

Is it possible to turn off the headings/page number on a page that is
created by a "large" figure, i.e. a figure that is too big to fit on
the rest of the page so that it is going to get its own?

I tried all positions around my figure but it always turns the
headings of the page before the "figure page" off. I want to omit
\clearpage-ing the figure to force the \thispagestyle command working
properly.

Any hints?

Andi

--
  Andreas Loesch	Phone   : (+49 89)3209 4086
  Univ. Muenchen	FAX     : (+49 89)3209 4059
  Am Coulombwall 1	E-mail  : Andi.Loesch@Physik.Uni-Muenchen.DE
W-8046 Garching
From: dhosek@hmcvax.claremont.edu
Subject: Re: Which is better, OzTeX or Textures?
Organization: Quixote Digital Typography
Date: 27 Jan 93 00:31:32 PST

In article <MOREAUX.93Jan26105025@litsun22.epfl.ch>, moreaux@litsun22.epfl.ch (Michel Moreaux) writes:
 
> OzTeX has a multi-language extension called Euro-OzTex allowing hyphenation of
> most "non-english" languages. For instance, Euro-OzTeX allows to write in 
> Greek, French, German and even Russian. Maybe that sounds useless for you, but
> for me, European people speaking different languages, it is very important.
> I think it is very sad that the basic "TeX" has be developped only thinking of
> english. Really poor design (please no flame) ! Our Unix version of LaTeX
> required some patches in order to allow hyphenation of words containing 
> characters encoded on 8 bits. I do not know if TeXture allows hyphenation of
> "non-english" languages.

It sounds like you have either a poorly misinformed and
maintained TeX system or something very strange is happening.
Standard TeX can handle up to 256 different languages and
eight-bit input. Michael Ferguson has made available some
multilingual patches but they are really only necessary if you
feel that it's absolutely necessary to be able to have eight bit
control sequences. Personally, I think that the loss of an umlaut
in a control sequence name is no bigger sacrifice than \@ne is
for English speakers.

-dh
Don Hosek                  
dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu  
Quixote Digital Typography 
714-621-1291
From: "Tundra" Tim Daneliuk <tundra@eskimo.chi.il.us>
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: The Canonical List Of TeX-Related Tutorials
Date: 27 Jan 93 01:53:12
Organization: TundraWare
X-Gateway-Source-Info: Mailing List

I would like to create a list of available tutorials on TeX, LaTeX, TeXInfo,
MetaFont, NFSS, and any other significant TeX-related subsystems.  When I
first got into all this a year or so ago, I found the FAQs useful, but not
quite what I needed in the beginning.  The idea for my list is to gather
information of all such resources to make a newcomer's job a little easier.

To facilitate this, I'm asking that *only the authors* of such material
reply to me.  That way I won't have to sift through as much information
to weed out duplicates.  If that doesn't work, I'll pipe up here and
ask you netters at large what your favorite tutorials are/were.

If you are the author of such a document *and it is freely available*
(public domain, GNU copyleft, etc.) please let me know about it.  In doing
so, I'd appreciate your using the following format:

Document Name:
Author Name:
Author Email Address:
Size (Bytes):
Brief Description:
Intended Audience:
Primary Distribution Site (ftp or uucp);
Comments: (Special printer requirements, instructions for ftp/uucp retrieval,
           etc.)

Hopefully, I'll soon have something to post to all of you here ...

Regards,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        "Tundra" Tim Daneliuk
        PREFERRED: tundra@eskimo.chi.il.us
        OR (Yuk!): eskimo!tundra@clout.chi.il.us
        ALSO:      ...uunet!gargoyle.uchicago.edu!clout!eskimo!tundra
        US SNAIL:  4927 N. Rockwell, Chicago, IL  60625
        MA BELL:   (312) 989-1052

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: kabacoff@novavax.UUCP (Robert I. Kabacoff Ph.D.)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: font question (PXL format) for viewing dvi files
Keywords: PXL dvipage
Date: 26 Jan 93 20:40:07 GMT
Organization: Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, FL


Please forgive me if this is a simple question.

I have installed "dvipage" on my sun3/60 so that I can
look at dvi files under SunView.

To use this program, you must have 300dpi fonts (for color)
and 118 dpi fonts (for monochrome) in PXL format.

I am unfamiliar with PXL format. How do I get fonts into this
format?  

Please send responses direct to me. I will summarize.

Thank you!
=============================================================================
Rob Kabacoff, Ph.D.              | Internet: kabacoff@novavax.nova.edu
Center for Psychological Studies | Phone: (305) 475-7581
Nova University, College Ave.    | "Florida is Florida...it's warm, there are
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314         |  oranges, and safe driving is optional."
=============================================================================
From: rags@triples.math.mcgill.ca (Robert A. G. Seely)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: Cents symbol
Date: 22 Jan 93 03:07:38 GMT
Organization: /etc/organization

In article <1jm17cINNq7@gap.caltech.edu> mmalak@cco.caltech.edu (Michael Jay Malak) writes:
>jwarner@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Jack E. Warner) writes:
>
>>Tod McQuillin <tm8t+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>
>>>Is there a way to typeset the symbol for cents in [La]TeX?  It's the
>>>symbol that looks like a 'c' and a '/' on top of each other.  I've
>>>been using (LaTeX)
>
>>>\newcommand{\cent}{\,\makebox[0in]{c}\makebox[0in]{/}\,}
>
>>>but this is too ugly for words.  What obvious solution am I missing?
>
>The TeXbook suggests \def\cents{\hbox{\rm\rlap/c}} .
>
>-- 
>Michael Malak                      |  1. All syllogisms have three parts.
>mmalak@looking_glass.caltech.edu   |  2. Therefore, this is not a syllogism.


I use \sf instead of \rm - a little better I think, but that's a matter of
taste.  

-rags
From: vamsee@abgen.tamu.edu (Vamsee Lakamsani)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: dvips won't pickup changed input path
Date: 26 Jan 1993 19:55:19 GMT
Organization: Center for Macromolecular Design, Texas A&M University.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: abgen.tamu.edu

We recently changed the default directories of TEX's input directories.
The environment variable TEXINPUTS has been changed to reflect the
new location of TeX's input files. LaTeX accepted the new location
and ran well (on some old TeX files) but "dvips" refuses to do so.
It says "dvips: ! Couldn't find header file tex.pro". When the *.pro
files are copied to the current directory it works ok. What do I have to do
inorder to make "dvips" see this new location?

Vamsee Lakamsani
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
From: mark@nickel.laurentian.ca
Subject: Installing PCTeX 3.1 on Novell 3.11
Organization: Laurentian University
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 13:01:05 GMT


Greetings,

	Has anyone successfully installed PCTeX on a Netware 3.11 server. I 
have tried to install v3.1 of this program with very little success. I followed
the manual and got the program completely installed. I have set a search drive
to the PCTeX directory and SET TEXFMTS= to find the formats directory. When
PCTEX.EXE is run it calls MENU.EXE in the \PCTEX\TEXFMTS directory.

	My problem is that when I run PCTEX.EXE, an error comes up saying that
I am supposed to run MENU.EXE from PCTEX.EXE (which is what I just did). If I
run MENU.EXE by itself, I receive the same error.

	Thanks for any help.

Mark Lafontaine
Laurentian University
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
MARK@NICKEL.LAURENTIAN.CA
From: <barr@triples.Math.McGill.CA>
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: whitespace%
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 93 07:58:32 EST
Organization: Info-Tex<==>Comp.Text.Tex Gateway
X-Gateway-Source-Info: Mailing List

Two posters to c.t.t suggested that it was a good idea to add a % to the
end of any line of which there is doubt.  They did not mention that there
is one case where this may turn out to be a very bad idea.  TeX permits,
but does not require, a whitespace after a number that is being explicitly
assigned to a counter, but you may be in for a nasty surprise if you omit
it.  Try for example
\newcount\testtest=1%
\ifnum\test=1 do one thing \else do another \fi
with and without the %.  I have never tried this, but I expect that
bad things could also happen if you omit whitespace (in this way or any
other) after a reserved word like pt or fil.

Michael Barr