NAME

       tex, virtex, initex - text formatting and typesetting

SYNOPSIS

       tex [options] [& format ] [ file | \ commands ]

DESCRIPTION

       Run the TeX typesetter on file, usually creating file.dvi.  If the file
       argument has no extension, ".tex" will be appended to it.  Instead of a
       filename,  a  set of TeX commands can be given, the first of which must
       start with a backslash.  With a &format argument TeX uses  a  different
       set  of  precompiled  commands,  contained in format.fmt; it is usually
       better to use the -fmt format option instead.

       TeX formats the interspersed text and commands contained in  the  named
       files  and  outputs a typesetter independent file (called DVI, which is
       short for DeVice Independent).  TeX’s  capabilities  and  language  are
       described  in The TeX for nroffbook.  TeX is normally used with a large
       body of precompiled macros, and there are several  specific  formatting
       systems,  such  as  LaTeX,  which  require the support of several macro
       files.

       This version of TeX looks at its command line to see what name  it  was
       called  under.  If they exist, then both initex and virtex are symbolic
       links to the tex executable.  When called as initex (or when  the  -ini
       option  is given) it can be used to precompile macros into a .fmt file.
       When called as virtex it will use the plain format.  When called  under
       any  other  name,  TeX  will use that name as the name of the format to
       use.  For example, when called as tex the tex format is used, which  is
       identical  to  the  plain  format.   The  commands defined by the plain
       format are documented in The TeX for nroffbook.  Other formats that are
       often available include latex and amstex.

       The  non-option command line arguments to the TeX program are passed to
       it as the first input line.  (But it is often easier to  type  extended
       arguments  as the first input line, since UNIX shells tend to gobble up
       or misinterpret TeX’s favorite symbols, like  backslashes,  unless  you
       quote  them.)   As  described in The TeX for nroffbook, that first line
       should begin with a filename, a