troffcompatible

Troff-compatible refers to software, formats, or documents that can be processed by troff or its compatible implementations, such as GNU troff (groff). It implies adherence to the troff input language or its widely used macro packages, enabling consistent typesetting output across systems.

Troff is a traditional Unix typesetting system developed at AT&T Bell Labs. Groff is the open-source successor that remains widely used. Both accept plain-text input with formatting requests and support macro packages that extend capabilities for different document classes, including man pages and general articles. A document described as troff-compatible is expected to be readable by troff or groff without requiring nonstandard extensions.

Input characteristics include lines that may begin with a dot for requests, with escape sequences and a base set of formatting commands. Macro packages define higher-level constructs such as title pages, sections, or specialized formatting for different domains. Groff, in particular, supports a variety of devices and output formats via command-line options and device files, increasing cross-compatibility among troff-based workflows.

Compatibility considerations note that while core troff features are stable, newer extensions exist in groff and in different macro packages. Real-world troff-compatible sources may rely on specific macros and might render differently across implementations. For example, documents using the man macro package are commonly treated as troff-compatible.

Use and relevance: the term is often encountered in documentation pipelines, archival contexts, or conversions between roff-based formats and modern formats. Ensuring troff-compatibility helps preserve legacy documents and maintain portable formatting across Unix-like systems.