[bug #68543] groff_man_style(7): add notes on use of font escape sequences

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URL:=0A  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?68543>=0A=0A                 Summa=
ry: groff_man_style(7): add notes on use of font escape=0Asequences=0A     =
              Group: GNU roff=0A               Submitter: None=0A          =
     Submitted: Tue 21 Jul 2026 12:55:00 PM UTC=0A                Category:=
 Macro package man=0A                Severity: 3 - Normal=0A              I=
tem Group: Documentation=0A                  Status: None=0A               =
  Privacy: Public=0A             Assigned to: None=0A             Open/Clos=
ed: Open=0A         Discussion Lock: Unlocked=0A         Planned Release: N=
one=0A=0A=0A    _______________________________________________________=0A=
=0AFollow-up Comments:=0A=0A=0A--------------------------------------------=
-----------=0ADate: Tue 21 Jul 2026 12:55:00 PM UTC By: Anonymous=0ABranden=
 posted the following in=0Ahttp://lists.gnu.org/r/groff/2026-05/msg00022.ht=
ml and asked for feedback on=0Athe proposal.  None was provided.  (The repl=
ies in the thread cover different=0Aparts of the message.)  This at least i=
ndicates no one is opposed, and his=0Aproposal does seem to address a real =
and recurring issue, thus this ticket to=0Astick a pin in the idea.=0A----=
=0AI know I'll never get man page authors as a whole to give up their font =
escape=0Asequences; the best I can do is try to convince people that using =
them has=0Adrawbacks, by spelling out what those drawbacks are.=0A=0A* The =
formatter can't distinguish typos from intentional but impossible=0Ademands=
;=0A* because font escape sequences "punch through the floor" and directly =
command=0Athe formatter, the macro package can't help you by checking font =
availability=0Afor itself and then falling back to something "reasonable" i=
n context (and=0Ataking output device capabilities into account);=0A* the i=
dentity of the "previous font", as selected by `\fP`, is inconsistent=0Aamo=
ng implementations if an un-fulfillable selection is made;[1]=0A* input lik=
e `\fIthis\fP` frustrates many spell checkers; and=0A* groff man(7), at lea=
st, knows to apply italic corrections when the document=0Asets upright and =
slanted glyphs adjacently.=0A=0AMaybe I should stick the foregoing into the=
 "Notes" section...of the=0Agroff_man_style(7) document.=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A=
=0A=0A    _______________________________________________________=0A=0ARepl=
y to this item at:=0A=0A  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?68543>=0A=0A_____=
__________________________________________=0AMessage sent via Savannah=0Aht=
tps://savannah.gnu.org/=0A
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