COMMENT ⊗   VALID 00003 PAGES
C REC  PAGE   DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00002 00002	%\magnification=\magstephalf
C00009 00003	\centerline{Pay to Shearson Lehman Brothers}
C00021 ENDMK
C⊗;
%\magnification=\magstephalf
%\magnification=\magstep2
\magnification=\magstep1
\font\smallheadfont=cmr8 
\font\largeheadfont=cmdunh10 
%\font\ninerm=cmr9 
\font\seal=seal1
\font\Dunh=cmdunh10
\def\today{\ifcase\month\or
  January\or February\or March\or April\or May\or June\or
  July\or August\or September\or October\or November\or December\fi
  \space\number\day, \number\year}

\raggedbottom
\interlinepenalty=1000
\hsize=6.5truein
%\voffset=24pt
%\advance\vsize by-\voffset
\parindent=0pt
\parskip=0pt
\nopagenumbers
\footline={\ifnum\pageno>1
  \smallheadfont \addressee\hfil\today\qquad \folio
  \else\hfil\fi}

\def\beginlinemode{\endmode
  \begingroup\obeylines\def\endmode{\par\endgroup}}
\def\beginparmode{\endmode
  \begingroup\parskip=\medskipamount \def\endmode{\par\endgroup}}
\let\endmode=\par
\def\endletter{\endmode\vfill\supereject}

\newdimen\longindentation \longindentation=4truein
\newbox\theaddress
\def\address{\beginlinemode\getaddress}
{\obeylines\gdef\getaddress #1
  #2
  {#1\gdef\addressee{#2}%
    \global\setbox\theaddress=\vbox\bgroup\raggedright%
     \hsize=3.25truein\everypar{\hangindent2em}#2
%    \hsize=\longindentation \everypar{\hangindent2em}#2
    \def\endmode{\egroup\endgroup \copy\theaddress \bigskip}}}

\def\body{\beginparmode}
\def\annotations{\beginlinemode\def\par{\endgraf\nobreak}\obeylines\par}
\def\ps{\beginparmode\nobreak
  \interlinepenalty5000\def\par{\endgraf\penalty5000}}

\def\up#1{\leavevmode \raise.16ex\hbox{#1}}

\def\personal{\pageno=1
  \def\sendingaddress{Arthur L. Samuel\par
    The Sequoias\par
    501 Portola Road, box 8214\par
    Portola Valley, CA 94025\par
    \up[415\up]\thinspace 424-4233\par}
  \def\returnaddress{Arthur L. Samuel\par
    The Sequoias\par
    501 Portola Road, box 8214\par
    Portola Valley, CA 94025 USA}
\centerline{Arthur L. Samuel}
\centerline{The Sequoias}
\centerline{501 Portola Rd. box 8214}
\centerline{Portola Valley, CA 94025}
    \bigskip\bigskip\hfill\today\bigskip}

\def\pool{\pageno=1
  \def\returnaddress{The Swimming  Pool Committee\par
    The Sequoias\par
    501 Portola Road\par
    Portola Valley, CA 94025 USA}
\centerline{The Sequoias Swimming Pool Committee}
\centerline{The Sequoias}
\centerline{501 Portola Rd.}
\centerline{Portola Valley, CA 94025}
    \bigskip\bigskip\hfill\today\bigskip}

\def\stanford{\pageno=1
  \def\returnaddress{Arthur L.~Samuel\par
    Computer Science Department\par
    Stanford University\par
    Stanford CA 94305 USA}
{\null\vskip-10pt
\vbox{\hskip-50pt$\vcenter{\rlap{\seal T}}$\hskip48pt}
\vbox{\null\vskip-66pt\Dunh\parskip=0pt\baselineskip=18pt\obeylines\obeyspaces
   Computer Science Department\par
   Stanford University\par
   Stanford, California 94305}}
    \bigskip\bigskip\hfill\today\bigskip}

%\def\makelabel{\endletter\hbox{\vrule
%    \vbox{\hrule \kern6truept
%      \hbox{\kern6truept\vbox to 3truein{\hsize=\longindentation
%          \smallheadfont\baselineskip9truept\returnaddress
%          \vfill\moveright 3truein\copy\theaddress\vfill}%
%        \kern6truept}\kern6truept\hrule}\vrule}
%  \vfill\eject}

\def\makelabel{\endletter\hbox%
{\vrule\vbox{\hrule \kern6truept
      \hbox{\kern6truept\vbox{\hsize=2truein
    \smallheadfont\baselineskip10truept\returnaddress}}\smallskip\hrule}\vrule}
\medskip
\hbox{\vrule\vbox{\hrule \kern6truept
      \hbox{\kern6truept\vbox{\hsize=3truein
     \copy\theaddress}}\smallskip\hrule}\vrule}\eject}

\def\als{\beginlinemode\nobreak\bigskip
\hskip4truein Sincerely yours,
    \nobreak\bigskip\bigskip\bigskip % space for signature
\hskip4truein Arthur L. Samuel
\bigskip}

\def\alsX{\beginlinemode\nobreak\bigskip
\hskip3truein With lots of love,
    \nobreak\bigskip\bigskip\bigskip % space for signature
\hskip4truein A.L.S.
\bigskip}

\def\fin{\makelabel\end}
\centerline{Pay to Shearson Lehman Brothers}
\centerline{Account No. 530-03240-1-8-148}

\bye
\address
.
Pay to Shearson Lehman Brothers
Account No. 530-03240-1-8-148

\als

\bye


\stanford
\address

Miss Barbara Beeton, {\it Editor}
\TeX\ User's Group
P.O.~Box 9506
Providence RI 02940

\body
Dear Barbara:

\def\raggedcenter{\leftskip=0pt plus4em \rightskip=\leftskip
\parfillskip=0pt \spaceskip=.3333em \xspaceskip=.5em
\pretolerance=9999 \tolerance=9999 }
%\hyphenpenalty=9999 \exhyprenpenalty=9999 }

\raggedcenter

This is another attempt to present text material in which the spacings
between words is kept uniform and each line is centered on the page. This
time I adopted Don's raggedcenter macro (with modifications) as defined in
the \TeX book solution to Exercise 14.34. I did not use this method
originally because of one rather obscure defect, or maybe I should say
feature. Each paragraph is treated as a unit (as you well know) and,
interestingly enough, the attempt to distribute the text evenly between
lines results in a variation in the maximum line lengths between
paragraphs. If the text in question is well written, and consequently well
paragraphed, then this added emphasis on the paragraphing can be an aid to
understanding. However for just any old stuff, such as this letter, it
might be annoying.

My original rendition did not have this feature. It simply packed as much
material as possible into each line and let the last line be any length,
and sometimes much too short for the best appearances.  One must weigh
this defect against the possible defect of the other method, or perhaps
some compromise solution should be worked out.

As I told you in my previous letter, I did some work on this, way back in
year one.  At that time, I convinced myself that, with time, one could
learn to make use of the complementary shapes of the left and right edges to
aid one's eyes in going from the end of one line to the beginning of the
next line. I am not as sure of this now as I was then, but anyway, it is an
interesting idea and we might do well to consider all such factors as this
in deciding what procedure would be best.

\hsize=3.25 truein

Before concluding this letter, perhaps it would be wise to include a paragraph
or two that conforms to the column width normally used in TUGboat. Several differences
are at once apparent. In the first place, short two-line paragraphs, are much less
likely to occur, to wit:

This is about as bad a two-line paragraph as one can make.

Perhaps a  more obvious difference has to do with the fact that
ragged-right text is much more obviously ragged for narrow columns than
for wider columns and therefore the advantage of distributing this raggedness
between the left and right margins is correspondingly greater. Calling attention
to the greater apparent raggedness of narrow-column text is, of course, more of an
argument for right justification than for any kind of raggedness. 

\vfill \eject

\body
\hsize=3.25 truein

This leads me back to my original objection to raggedness in the first place,
for TUGboat, of all places, where we should place \TeX's best foot forward, and
where we should not cave in to the banishments of those with inferior
text processors who are doing all they can to obscure the differences between
their product and the good work that \TeX\ does. 
Of course, there may be some validity to the argument that the varying spaces
between words can slow down word recognition and if this is indeed true, then it
seems to me that some compromise, such as the raggedcenter format might well
be adopted, and promoted, by TUGboat.

I am reminded of the non-thinking comment, obviously from a non-\TeX -advocate,
to the effect that; ``Let the people who profit from \TeX\ promote its use\dots ''.
The people who write for TUGboat obviously profit from \TeX, as indeed
 do all users, and this includes those who only read it.
It seems to me that we should not sacrifice some of this profit just to
conform to a current trend. Perhaps we, that is TUGboat,
 should promote a new trend and profit even more.

\raggedright
\def\thin{\kern .05em } \def\negthin{\kern-.05em }

For \thin example, \thin \thin why \thin not \thin develop \thin a \thin 
half-ragged-
right \negthin \TeX\ \negthin mode \negthin in \negthin which \negthin the \negthin raggedness \negthin is \negthin min-
imized \thin by \thin introducing \thin slight \thin variations \thin in \thin the
inter-word spacings from line to line. By limit-
ing the allowable variations to perhaps half the
variation \thin now \thin allowed \thin by \thin \TeX\ \thin we \thin could \thin both
minimize the raggedness and at the same time
make \thin some \thin concession \thin to \thin those \thin who \thin maintain
that \negthin noticable \negthin variations \negthin in \negthin the \negthin inter-word \negthin spac-
ings slows down word recognition. Even better,
maybe we should provide a mechanism so
that \negthin the \negthin user \negthin can \negthin make \negthin his \negthin own \negthin choice \negthin as \negthin to \negthin the
trade-off to be made. \thin This paragraph is an example \ of what might be done.

\als\fin

There is one more possibility and that is to develop a halfraggedright
\TeX\ mode. This mode would allow the right margin to vary but it would
also mimimize the raggedness by allowing small variations in the
inter-word spacings. 





\centerline{}
\centerline{If one really wants to preserve uniform spacing between words, then one way to do}
\centerline{this is to center each line of type in the column. I did some work on this, way back in}
\centerline{year one.  This greatly improves the appearance, as compared with ragged right and I}
\centerline{once convinced myself that with time one could learn to depend on the complementary}
\centerline{shapes of the left and right edges to aid one's eyes in going from the end of one line to}
\centerline{the beginning of the next line.}
\centerline{}

\centerline{It may interest you to know that I even tried to sell IBM on this idea for the then}
\centerline{new executive typewriter.  The way it was supposed to work was that one would type}
\centerline{the letter as usual. The line would appear on the page as typed but it would also be}
\centerline{stored on a magnetic drum (the preferred form of storage at the time).  On receiving a}
\centerline{carriage return, the unused space on the line would be split with one half of it (as close}
\centerline{as possible in units of 1/5 M) being stored at the start of the line.  When the letter}
\centerline{was finished one could then insert a new sheet of paper and get a printed copy of the}
\centerline{letter, all beautifully centered.}
\centerline{}

\centerline{The intent was more to make IBM typed letters appear distinctive than to do anything}
\centerline{about readability. I had experimented with right justification on the executive type-}
\centerline{writer and had decided that the 1/5 M unit was just not small enough to achieve good}
\centerline{looking right justification.}
\centerline{}

\centerline{Neadless to say, the idea was not adopted, a good thing probably, as cheap reliable}
\centerline{storage devices were simply not available at the time.}
\centerline{}

\als \fin