[OS X TeX] word count in pdf file

[Alan Munn]

On Jan 4, 2011, at 4:49 PM, Alan Munn wrote:

> 
> On Jan 4, 2011, at 4:10 PM, Harry H. Hilton wrote:
> 
>> I  have searched the manuals and help areas regarding a procedure or macro for obtaining a word count of the the prose in the output .pdf file. Does anyone have any info? Thanks.
> 
> 
> Word counting questions almost always lead to statements about its impossibility and/or uselessness.

And the poster child for the impossibility camp is the following famous obfuscated code from David Carlisle (available as xxi.tex on CTAN:)

(compile the following in plain tex).

\let~\catcode~`76~`A13~`F1~`j00~`P2jdefA71F~`7113jdefPALLF
PA''FwPA;;FPAZZFLaLPA//71F71iPAHHFLPAzzFenPASSFthP;A$$FevP
A@@FfPARR717273F737271P;ADDFRgniPAWW71FPATTFvePA**FstRsamP
AGGFRruoPAqq71.72.F717271PAYY7172F727171PA??Fi*LmPA&&71jfi
Fjfi71PAVVFjbigskipRPWGAUU71727374 75,76Fjpar71727375Djifx
:76jelse&U76jfiPLAKK7172F71l7271PAXX71FVLnOSeL71SLRyadR at oL
RrhC?yLRurtKFeLPFovPgaTLtReRomL;PABB71 72,73:Fjif.73.jelse
B73:jfiXF71PU71 72,73:PWs;AMM71F71diPAJJFRdriPAQQFRsreLPAI
I71Fo71dPA!!FRgiePBt'el@ lTLqdrYmu.Q.,Ke;vz vzLqpip.Q.,tz;
;Lql.IrsZ.eap,qn.i. i.eLlMaesLdRcna,;!;h htLqm.MRasZ.ilk,%
s$;z zLqs'.ansZ.Ymi,/sx ;LYegseZRyal, at i;@ TLRlogdLrDsW,@;G
LcYlaDLbJsW,SWXJW ree @rzchLhzsW,;WERcesInW qt.'oL.Rtrul;e
doTsW,Wk;Rri at stW aHAHHFndZPqpa.rtMRrgeLinZ.irLtYer.W,:jbye


-- 
Alan Munn
amunn at gmx.com