scavo@cie.uoregon.edu (Tom Scavo) (05/29/91)
[followups directed to comp.text.tex] In article <ROLFL.91May27123127@hedda.uio.no> rolfl@hedda.uio.no (Rolf Lindgren) writes: > >'! No me digas ! TeX does not nessecarily mathematicize typesetting >aesthetics. TeX allows anything that lead types allowed you to, and more. You >can even keep small changes on one page _from_ recomputation of all the >following pages. The comparison with WYSIWYG word processors doesn't keep up >because TeX offers you the ability to take any degree of control, something >that word processors can't if you want to keep their operation user friendly. >Word processors have the great disadvantage that they try to conform to the >notion that `"it's more important that programs are easy to use, than that they >do what they're supposed to do" Few people will argue that TeX output is anything short of fantastic, but I for one can not write in TeX. I don't mean transcribe from paper, but compose in TeX at the key- board. Maybe it's just me, but I wonder how many are able to do this? For that matter, I wonder what proportion of TeX-produced articles, papers, and books are actually typeset by their respective authors? Half maybe? My point is that a TeX program with a good wysiwyg frontend, or a wysiwyg twp with TeX translation capabilities, will make technical writing and mathematical typesetting skills available to everyone. The same thing happened to desktop publishing, and I see nothing wrong it. Indeed, I'm having a difficult time getting along without it. Tom Scavo scavo@cie.uoregon.edu
tas@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (Tasman Derk Van Ommen) (05/29/91)
scavo@cie.uoregon.edu (Tom Scavo) writes: > <stuff deleted> >Few people will argue that TeX output is anything short >of fantastic, but I for one can not write in TeX. I don't >mean transcribe from paper, but compose in TeX at the key- >board. Maybe it's just me, but I wonder how many are able >to do this? For that matter, I wonder what proportion of >TeX-produced articles, papers, and books are actually >typeset by their respective authors? Half maybe? I, for one, find TeX (LaTeX actually) very liberating and write stuff straight down. No need to remember keystrokes, or pull down menus, and I can use any machine with a text editor that is handy. OK, I do have to remember (La)TeX commands, but most processing can be done with a surprisingly small and easily remembered subset (IMHO). Getting away from a WYSIWYG environment FREES the writer to concentrate much more on content and leave the form to the typesetter. I can't deny that TeX writing is an iterative process, (but I am saying that is one of its advantages - forget about the layout at the creative stage) although I should say that I am often amazed to see a tricky little table or piece of mathematics pop out right, first time! Tas van Ommen. email: tas@physvax.phys.utas.edu.au