groff: Invoking groff
2 Invoking 'groff'
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This chapter focuses on how to invoke the 'groff' front end. This front
end takes care of the details of constructing the pipeline among the
preprocessors, 'gtroff' and the postprocessor.
It has become a tradition that GNU programs get the prefix 'g' to
distinguish them from their original counterparts provided by the host
(⇒Environment). Thus, for example, 'geqn' is GNU 'eqn'. On
operating systems like GNU/Linux or the Hurd, which don't contain
proprietary versions of 'troff', and on MS-DOS/MS-Windows, where 'troff'
and associated programs are not available at all, this prefix is omitted
since GNU 'troff' is the only incarnation of 'troff' used. Exception:
'groff' is never replaced by 'roff'.
In this document, we consequently say 'gtroff' when talking about the
GNU 'troff' program. All other implementations of 'troff' are called
AT&T 'troff', which is the common origin of almost all 'troff'
implementations(1) (⇒Invoking groff-Footnote-1) (with more or
less compatible changes). Similarly, we say 'gpic', 'geqn', and so on.
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