[texhax] \textwidth and \linewidth

[Carsten Balleier]

Hi,

I'm trying to typeset a document (article class) with given layout 
parameters. Here my preamble (using letterpaper):

\hoffset0in
\oddsidemargin0.6in
\evensidemargin0.1in
\textwidth5.8in
\marginparsep0in
\marginparwidth0in
\marginparpush0in

I've also tried the geometry and typearea packages with equivalent 
parameters. But in all cases, the typeset/printed lines were shorter 
than 5.8". Even in normal text (no environment), \linewidth is shorter 
than \textwidth. Going the brutal way and changing \linewidth directly 
affected (as expected) list and quote environments, but didn't change 
the width of the main text. Checking the file article.cls, I found out 
that it doesn't refer anywhere to \linewidth.
Therefore: can anyone tell me
1. how to specify a precise linewidth for the main text?
2. Or at least, which length is responsible for the width of the main
	text in article class, if neither \text- nor \linewidth?

I'm using teTeX as distributed with SuSE.

Thanks for any hints,
Carsten


-- 
U.S. forces detained a man with a ruler, protractor, set square and
calculator to prove Iraq has weapons of math instruction.
		-- Rashid Mughal