Re: pdf page counting

On 12/26/2024 7:07 AM, albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl wrote:

adobe is a MS kind of tool.

Acrobat (which is what I imagine you mean by "Adobe") isn't a document
authoring tool; it's a PDF creation/editing tool.  You'd be foolish to
use it (and only it) to create a document longer than a single-page
"form".
I use FrameMaker, telling *it* to create the corresponding PDF (or HTML,
XML, PS, etc.) to mirror what you *see* on the screen.  Acrobat lets you
add other payloads, build interactive forms (e.g., our state tax forms
"do the math" for the person filing) and multimedia.  E.g., I now
add the source code that implements a particular module specification
*to* that specification, when done.  So, the (human) reader can
extract the source code and feed it to a compiler from the specification
document that describes it.

Professionals use TeX.

Perhaps professionals who want to MANUALLY do much of the work that the
TOOL could otherwise do *for* them!  TeX et al. are sorely lacking in
WYSIWYG capabilities.  This is particularly true when you go beyond
"pure text" documents.  This is one type of application where you really
*want* all of the tools in-built; you don't want to have to switch
between different executables to perform each of the tasks that WILL
be required.
[I used TeX et al. for years before realizing there were much *easier*
ways to produce documentation that would let me SEE what the result
would be as I was creating it.]
I want to paste an illustration/photo into a document (or, a table
*cell*!) and be able to add callouts on or around it, *there*, not
in some other tool and wonder how they will look in the context of
the surrounding material.
I want to create supplemental text flows and see how they look *as* I
create and populate them; should I alter the *shape* of this text
frame so it fits better visually with the other flows on the page?
Should I move it to another page?
FrameMaker's equation editor helps with the tedium of entering
equations *faithfully*.  Isn't:
   Σ2αx² ± δ ≤ ∏…
easier to visualize (i.e., validate) than:
   \sum 2\alpha x^2 \pm \delta \leq \prod ...
No need to remember the "names" of particular symbols or operators
as they are just clicks on a menu.
It also supports some symbolic operations and evaluations.  E.g., I can
type something like:
    y = (x + 3)^3 - 8
and, have it expanded to:
    y = (x + 3)(x + 3)(x + 3) - 8
or y = (x + 3)(x^2 + 6x + 9) - 8
or y = x^3 + 9x^2 + 27x + 27 - 8
or y = x^3 + 9x^2 + 27x + 19
(assuming I've done that correctly in my head).  I could assert that
    x = q + p
and have it evaluate the above given that substitution.
Or, transpose a matrix, do dot/cross products, matrix multiplication/addition,
etc.  Add fractions, expand factorials, remove common factors, etc.
This is not a substitute for doing the actual math but a huge convenience
from having to retype different/equivalent forms of the same equation when
trying to show a derivation.  There's nothing worse than reading a paper
and noting that "equation 1" is NOT equivalent to "equation 2" due to
some careless typo.
The biggest downside to using FM is the cost (I think it was ~$1000 when I
purchased it; but, I've spent considerably more than that on compilers,
CAD/EDA programs, etc.) -- especially as things are moving to subscription
models (one reason I've not upgraded).  I am always amused at how "cheap"
developers are when it comes to tools -- as if *their* time had no value
(or, they enjoyed PLAYING with their tools!)  What's an HOUR of your time
worth?  A day?

I generated the ciforth documentation with texinfo.
In ghostview the two cover pages appear as 1 2 in the page column,
The body is on the third page with a page number 1.
The content are on the end, showing negative numbers in the page column,
and are marked I ,, XII .

Why would you ever have a negative number in a document?  The authoring
tool should be smart enough to sort out the actual indication that you
are using to LABEL each page and carry that into the index, ToC, etc.
Likewise, to create the hypertext links *in* the document without having
to fiddle with anything beyond tagging the destination of each link
(implicitly for things like figures, tables, illustrations, headings,
subheadings, footnotes, etc. and explicitly for any deliberate references
to explicit body text)
Or, show/hide markups, typeface changes, comments, photos/illustrations,
tables of all of the above (AS tables), video, audio, etc.
The productivity increase is remarkable!
I generate close to 1000 pages of documentation annually.  Doing that
reliably in TeX would just be a frustrating chore.
This is a newsletter I did for a local library -- while out of town
(medical emergency) and unable to access anything other than FrameMaker
(on the laptop that I took along with me):
   <https://mega.nz/file/ViJl2RQa#XiMuQ0eQr83CgkCpzBR6lom9p9ww_andFWiO9Dhzac0>
(I didn't author any of the content -- other than the puzzle on the last page)
These are my *notes* for creating a "revolving globe" animation for a
local non-profit that engaged in worldwide disaster relief (i.e., to
show donors where their efforts were, across the globe):
   <https://mega.nz/file/kvghgKKC#1t8opVGIRK_TCRcwL77WJR1lhBXLrPCWJotT6B9Bz9w>
(doesn't EVERYBODY invest time documenting their work -- even if it is
/pro bono/?)