On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 07:57:51 -0000, suzmccarth <suzmccarth@...>
wrote:
[...]

> assumed that the diacritics could also be added or not as they were on a
> typewriter.

One thing I miss in electronic text composition is a non-deleting
"overstrike". There's no fundamental technical reason for it not to be
available; a bitwise logical inclusive OR into a character bitmap, the
equivalent of a nondeleting overstrike, is fundamentally extremely simple
to do. Whether the higher-level "tools" used by programmers, or even the
graphics hardware, permit it to be done, is another matter.

While working as an editor at Electronic Design, ca '78, I had a Royal
manual typewriter (monospacing, of course) with a remarkably beautiful and
also practical typeface. Unfortunately, I have long lost the name of it,
if I ever knew. A missed opportunity was to create a complete chart of
all possible two-character overstrikes.

I once owned a quite-early IBM prop.-spacing electric typewriter in very
good condition, with a three-wheel rotary escapement and variable-speed
motor. It had a legal char. set and carbon ribbon; did beautiful work. Had
†, ‡, § and ¶, just about sure.

Regards,

--
Nicholas Bodley /*|*\ Waltham, Mass.
The curious hermit -- autodidact and polymath
<http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0110-33.htm>
Total lie -- saying that SocialSecurity is in crisis.