Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:45:07 +0100 From: Anton Shterenlikht <mexas@bristol.ac.uk> To: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> Cc: Anton Shterenlikht <mexas@bristol.ac.uk>, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: editor that understands CTRL/B, CTRL/I, CTRL/U Message-ID: <20120425064507.GA4673@mech-cluster241.men.bris.ac.uk> In-Reply-To: <20120425053133.e920b091.freebsd@edvax.de> References: <20120424175026.GD1303@mech-cluster241.men.bris.ac.uk> <201204241833.q3OIXwTR013401@mail.r-bonomi.com> <20120424190227.GA1773@mech-cluster241.men.bris.ac.uk> <20120425053133.e920b091.freebsd@edvax.de>
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On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 05:31:33AM +0200, Polytropon wrote: > On Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:02:27 +0100, Anton Shterenlikht wrote: > > On Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 01:33:58PM -0500, Robert Bonomi wrote: > > > > > > > Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:50:26 +0100 > > > > From: Anton Shterenlikht <mexas@bristol.ac.uk> > > > > To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > > > Subject: editor that understands CTRL/B, CTRL/I, CTRL/U > > > > > > > > My daughter is doing a touch typing course > > > > that presumes MS Word. So far she was fine > > > > with pico, but now they want the kids to > > > > practice CTRL/B (bold), CTRL/I (italic), > > > > CTRL/U (underline). She really needs to use > > > > these particular combinations because that > > > > is how the on-line assessment tool is set out. > > > > > > > > I use nothing but vi, so have no clue which, > > > > if any, editor from ports/editors will have > > > > these particular combinations implemented. > > > > > > > > Please recommend one, preferably as simple > > > > and as small as possible. > > > > > > Sorry *NO* 'text editor' has those capabilities, let alone has > > > them on those key sequences. > > > > > > Those are 'word processor' functions. word processor' software > > > is required. > > > > I know, I know.. > > Seems that your "better paid friends" at the board of > education do _not_ know. :-) > > > > > I don't know why in a touchtyping course > > you need to teach kids this, but.. > > WHAT? Let me get some food, I need to barf. What does this > have to do with touchtyping? What an educational ballast > are they teaching? > > > > > Anyway, abiword seems to do what I need. > > > > Let me know if there's anything lighter. > > I'm not aware of anything lighter in the realm of word > processors. All "alternatives" are full office suites, > so the "single purpose" AbiWord (with less dependencies) > should be the closest match and the most efficient one. > > It is even "file-compatible" with proprietary MICROS~1 > products and offers a lot of the look & feel (which > contradicts "blind" touchtyping) of "Word", at least > some _older_ versions of it. > > Teaching children an outdated version of some program > (which it _will_ be when they leave school) is not a good > idea. It creates confision and inefficient handling of > the wrong tools to do a job. > > "I want this to be a heading, I'm at... chapter 3.5 now, > okay... this is 3.6 then. Then I select the text with the > mouse... wait... okay, now [B] as I need a fat typeface, > and maybe... make the text bigger... 15pt should be fine, > no, 17 pt is better. Some spaces here... space space space > space space, now it is centered. Good. Return Return Return, > and now I can start with the text." > > Compare that _typical_ approach to simply applying the style > "Heading 2". And imagine the fun of changing font face, font > size or enumeration. :-) calm down man.. It's not too bad. On the positive side, she only needed this 2/3 into the course, when she can touch type already. Other extra things they teach kids in the course are how to write an informal letter or a job application - skills that most UK school leavers haven't got. sure, if I were designing the touch typing course, it would be different - I taught myself with games/gtypist, but.. On the other side, I have to admit, that overall things with computer education in the UK are bad. A report published by the Royal Society (UK equivalent of an Academy of Sciences in other countries) in January 2012 is tellingly entitled: Computing in Schools: Shut down or restart? and starts with: The current delivery of Computing education in many UK schools is highly unsatisfactory. and then goes: many pupils are not inspired by what they are taught and gain nothing beyond basic digital literacy skills such as how to use a word-processor or a database. It's a pretty depressing read: http://royalsociety.org/education/policy/computing-in-schools/report/ Anyway, those of us in a position to affect kids computer education, should do it, but it's an uphill battle. -- Anton Shterenlikht Room 2.6, Queen's Building Mech Eng Dept Bristol University University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK Tel: +44 (0)117 331 5944 Fax: +44 (0)117 929 4423
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