columns, from an implementation standpoint, are not easy at all in tex. It has to do with subtleties in the page output routine that I don't really grasp.

So I'm looking for a way to typeset them with a distance of at least 0.5cm and align at the bottom - the remaining space should be spread equally... I hope the question is understandable and I hope someone has already done something like this...

Some months ago another columns implementation came out, but if I recall correctly, when you have columns of vboxes separated by very stretchy glue, the new columns implementation can't bottom-align them either. -- --Ed L Cashin PGP public key: http://noserose.net/e/pgp/