Letters in roff

dj.mdwn

@@ -39,10 +39,5 @@ I'm happy playing booty
 rap, teen pop, salsa, 50s rock, bluegrass, line dances, or whatever else
 your crowd likes.
 
-I have about a year's worth of training from Toastmasters, and am happy to
+I am currently only doing events for the derby team and team members.
-perform Master of Ceremonies duties at your event.  I can also help you with
+This does, however, include parties and weddings.
-modest interior design: my focus is always on making a nice environment on
-a tight budget.
-
-To discuss availability and pricing, call the number on my card or [email
-me](mailto:neale@woozle.org).

papers/index.mdwn

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ These are papers I have written. Most of them were written to explain a
 concept to someone on woozle.  Hopefully other people will find them
 useful, too.
 
+
 Roller Derby Stuff
 ------------------
 
@@ -11,9 +12,11 @@ Roller Derby Stuff
 * [Dirtbags DJ Setup](dj.html)
 * [Copyright Advice for Small Leagues](derby-copyright.html)
 
+
 Computer Nerd Stuff
 -------------------
 
+* [Writing formal letters with roff](roff-letters.html)
 * [Runit on Arch Linux](arch-runit.html)
 * [Reply-To Munging Still Considered Harmful](reply-to-still-harmful.html)
 * [Runnning PHP as a CGI](php-cgi.html) in anything other than Apache
@@ -22,6 +25,7 @@ Computer Nerd Stuff
 * [3-Minute HTML Tutorial](html-tutorial.html)
 * [How DNS Works](DNS.html)
 
+
 Everything Else
 ---------------
 

papers/roff-letters.mdwn

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+Title: Writing formal letters with roff's "mm" package
+
+I like using roff for quick things like letters and memos,
+because it's already on every system,
+works the same everywhere,
+and lets me focus on content instead of presentation.
+Because it uses plain text files for input,
+I can use my favorite text editor to create roff documents.
+LaTeX, for reasons unknown, encourages me to endlessly twiddle the formatting.
+
+
+How to run roff
+--------------------
+
+If you have a file called "letter.mm",
+this will create "letter.ps":
+
+	groff -k -mm < letter.mm > letter.ps
+	
+The `-k` option tells groff that your input is UTF-8.
+
+Your computer probably knows how to display PostScript if you double-click the file.
+I use the `gv` program from the command line.
+
+
+The Document
+-------------------
+
+	.IA "Theodore Geisel" "Director of Illustration"
+	Hat Cat Heavy Industries
+	800 NW Jiboo Rd
+	Springfield, MO 17528
+	.IE
+	.WA "Neale Pickett" "Head Snark"
+	12423 Worrin Ave
+	Tres Brazos, NM 87923
+	.WE
+	.LO SA
+	.LT
+	.P
+	I found your advertisement in "Obscure Sports Quarterly".
+	I am writing to request a copy of your pamphlet,
+	"50 Ways to Sink A Bat".
+	.P
+	Please, if possible,
+	wrap the pamphlet in a leaf of lettuce or cabbage.
+	If it is not too much to ask,
+	could you also kiss the envelope before it is mailed?
+	I have found that mail fairies prefer kissed envelopes
+	and want to make sure your pamphlet arrives
+	as quickly as possible.
+	.FC
+	.SG
+
+You should copy and paste this into a file called `letter.mm`,
+and run roff on it,
+to see what the output looks like.
+
+
+What This All Means
+------------------------
+
+In roff, any line beginning with a period is a command.
+
+The file begins with `.IA`,
+the command for "addressee".
+It takes two arguments:
+name (Theodore Geisel) and title (Director of Illustration).
+This is followed by the address.
+The end of the address is denoted by `.IE`.
+
+Next up, the author's information.
+This takes the same format as addressee,
+using the `.WA` and `.WE` commands.
+
+`.LO SA` tells roff that we'd like a salutation to open the letter.
+The mm package uses "To whom it may concern:" by default,
+but you can specify whatever you'd prefer as an argument:
+
+	.LO SA "Dear folks,"
+
+`.LT` means this is a letter.
+
+`.P` tells roff to start a new paragraph.
+And then we have the actual text of the first paragraph.
+Hopefully this part is self-explanatory!
+
+`.FC` prints a closing.
+This will be "Yours very truly," unless you specify an argument:
+
+	.FC "Sincerely,"
+
+`.SG` leaves some space for a signature,
+then prints your name and title.
+
+
+More Information
+---------------------
+
+`man groff_mm` describes the entire macro package.
+When I need more control over formatting,
+I switch to Google Drive or LibreOffice.