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(woman)Introduction

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Introduction
************

This version of WoMan should run with GNU Emacs 20.3 or later on any
platform.  It has not been tested, and may not run, with any other
version of Emacs.  It was developed primarily on various versions of
Microsoft Windows, but has also been tested on MS-DOS, and various
versions of UNIX and GNU/Linux.

WoMan is distributed with GNU Emacs 21, and the current source code and
documentation files are available from my web server
(http://centaur.maths.qmw.ac.uk/Emacs/WoMan/).

WoMan implements a subset of the formatting performed by the Emacs
`man' (or `manual-entry') command to format a Unix-style "manual page"
(usually abbreviated to "man page") for display, but without calling
any external programs.  It is intended to emulate the whole of the
`ROFF -man' macro package, plus those `ROFF' requests (Note:
Background.) that are most commonly used in man pages.
However, the emulation is modified to include the reformatting done by
the Emacs `man' command.  No hyphenation is performed.

Advantages
     Much more direct, does not require any external programs.  Supports
     completion on man page names.

Disadvantages
     Not a complete emulation.  Currently no support for `eqn' or
     `tbl'.  Slightly slower for large man pages (but usually faster for
     small- and medium-size pages).

This browser works quite well on simple well-written man files.  It
works less well on idiosyncratic files that "break the rules" or use
the more obscure `ROFF' requests directly.  Current test results are
available in the file `woman.status'
(http://centaur.maths.qmw.ac.uk/Emacs/WoMan/woman.status).

WoMan supports the use of compressed man files via
`auto-compression-mode' by turning it on if necessary.  But you may
need to adjust the user option `woman-file-compression-regexp'.  Note:
Interface Options.

Brief help on the WoMan interactive commands and user options, all of
which begin with the prefix `woman-' (or occasionally `WoMan-'), is
available most easily by loading WoMan and then either running the
command `woman-mini-help' or selecting the WoMan menu option `Mini
Help'.

WoMan is (of course) still under development!  Please let me know
<F.J.Wright@qmw.ac.uk> what doesn't work--I am adding and improving
functionality as testing shows that it is necessary.  Guidance on
reporting bugs is given below.  Note: Reporting Bugs.