PostScript
:PostScript:: n. A Page Description Language ( PDL
, based on work
originally done by John Gaffney at Evans and Sutherland in 1976,
evolving through `JaM' (`John and Martin', Martin Newell) at {XEROX PARC}
, and finally implemented in its current form by John Warnock et
al. after he and Chuck Geschke founded Adobe Systems Incorporated in
1982. PostScript gets its leverage by using a full programming language,
rather than a series of low-level escape sequences, to describe an image
to be printed on a laser printer or other output device (in this it
parallels EMACS
which exploited a similar insight about editing
tasks). It is also noteworthy for implementing on-the fly rasterization,
from Bezier curve descriptions, of high-quality fonts at low (e.g. 300
dpi) resolution (it was formerly believed that hand-tuned bitmap fonts
were required for this task). Hackers consider PostScript to be among
the most elegant hacks of all time, and the combination of technical
merits and widespread availability has made PostScript the language of
choice for graphical output.
Jargon File Version 4.3.1, 29 JUN 2001 =
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