===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/mandoc/mandoc_char.7,v
retrieving revision 1.39
retrieving revision 1.42
diff -u -p -r1.39 -r1.42
--- mandoc/mandoc_char.7	2010/05/12 08:29:23	1.39
+++ mandoc/mandoc_char.7	2011/02/09 22:53:20	1.42
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.\"	$Id: mandoc_char.7,v 1.39 2010/05/12 08:29:23 kristaps Exp $
+.\"	$Id: mandoc_char.7,v 1.42 2011/02/09 22:53:20 schwarze Exp $
 .\"
 .\" Copyright (c) 2009 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
 .\"
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 .\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
 .\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
 .\"
-.Dd $Mdocdate: May 12 2010 $
+.Dd $Mdocdate: February 9 2011 $
 .Dt MANDOC_CHAR 7
 .Os
 .Sh NAME
@@ -513,32 +513,54 @@ implementations:
 .It \e*(aa   Ta \*(aa       Ta acute
 .It \e*(ga   Ta \*(ga       Ta grave
 .El
-.Sh COMPATIBILITY
-This section documents compatibility of
-.Nm
-with older or existing versions of
-.Xr groff 1 .
+.Sh NUMBERED CHARACTERS
+For backward compatibility with existing manuals,
+.Xr mandoc 1
+also supports the
 .Pp
-The following render differently in
-.Fl T Ns Ar ascii
-output mode:
-.Bd -ragged -offset indent
-\e(ss, \e(nm, \e(nb, \e(nc, \e(ib, \e(ip, \e(pp, \e[sum], \e[product],
-\e[coproduct], \e(gr, \e(-h, \e(a.
-.Ed
+.Dl \eN\(aq Ns Ar number Ns \(aq
 .Pp
-The following render differently in
-.Fl T Ns Ar html
-output mode:
-.Bd -ragged -offset indent
-\e(~=, \e(nb, \e(nc
-.Ed
+escape sequence, inserting the character
+.Ar number
+from the current character set into the output.
+Of course, this is inherently non-portable and is already marked
+as deprecated in the Heirloom roff manual.
+For example, do not use \eN'34', use \e(dq, or even the plain
+.Sq \(dq
+character where possible.
+.Sh COMPATIBILITY
+This section documents compatibility between mandoc and other other
+troff implementations, at this time limited to GNU troff
+.Pq Qq groff .
 .Pp
-Finally, the following have been omitted by being poorly documented or
-having no known representation:
-.Bd -ragged -offset indent
-\e[radicalex], \e[sqrtex], \e(ru
-.Ed
+.Bl -dash -compact
+.It
+In
+.Fl T Ns Cm ascii ,
+the
+\e(ss, \e(nm, \e(nb, \e(nc, \e(ib, \e(ip, \e(pp, \e[sum], \e[product],
+\e[coproduct], \e(gr, \e(\-h, and \e(a. special characters render
+differently between mandoc and groff.
+.It
+In
+.Fl T Ns Cm html
+and
+.Fl T Ns Cm xhtml ,
+the \e(~=, \e(nb, and \e(nc special characters render differently
+between mandoc and groff.
+.It
+The
+.Fl T Ns Cm ps
+and
+.Fl T Ns Cm pdf
+modes format like
+.Fl T Ns Cm ascii
+instead of rendering glyphs as in groff.
+.It
+The \e[radicalex], \e[sqrtex], and \e(ru special characters have been omitted
+from mandoc either because they are poorly documented or they have no
+known representation.
+.El
 .Sh SEE ALSO
 .Xr mandoc 1
 .Sh AUTHORS