When GNU troff starts up, it obtains information about the device
for which it is preparing output.18 An essential property is the length of the output
line, such as “6.5 inches”.
GNU troff interprets plain text files employing the Unix
line-ending convention. It reads input a character at a time,
collecting words as it goes, and fits as many words together on an
output line as it can—this is known as filling. To GNU
troff, a word is any sequence of one or more characters
that aren’t spaces or newlines. The exceptions separate
words.19 To disable filling, see
Manipulating Filling and Adjustment.
It is a truth universally acknowledged
that a single man in possession of a
good fortune must be in want of a wife.
⇒ It is a truth universally acknowledged that a
⇒ single man in possession of a good fortune must
⇒ be in want of a wife.