groff

Groff, short for GNU troff, is a command line tool used for typesetting documents in Unix-like systems. It is based on the original troff typesetting software developed by AT&T Bell Laboratories.

1. Groff is capable of processing plain text files and converting them into formatted output for various purposes like printing, online viewing, or creating PDFs.
2. It uses a markup language called "roff" that allows users to define the structure and formatting of the document.
3. The groff tool provides a set of preprocessors to handle macros, equations, tables, and more, enhancing the capabilities of the formatting language.
4. It supports different output devices such as printers, screens, and plotters, with the output format being scalable and adaptable.
5. Groff uses a collection of fonts, including the widely used Times New Roman, Helvetica, and Courier, among others.
6. It has the ability to hyphenate words automatically, making the text more aesthetically appealing and easier to read.
7. The tool also supports the creation of indexes, tables of contents, footnotes, and cross-references, enabling the generation of complex documents.
8. Groff allows users to customize the layout, pagination, headers, footers, and margins of the output according to specific requirements.
9. It supports internationalization and can handle non-English characters, making it suitable for documents in different languages.
10. Groff's versatility, high-quality output, and flexibility have made it a popular choice for creating technical documentation, books, reports, and other text-based materials in the Unix world.