Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 00:22:25 -0500 (EST) From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@glue.umd.edu> To: Mike Allison <mallison@konnections.com> Cc: Ruslan Shevchenko <Ruslan@Shevchenko.Kiev.ua>, Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: teTeX, latex, Lyx Books Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.971222001438.4983S-100000@picnic.mat.net> In-Reply-To: <349DF061.CE1@konnections.com>
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On Sun, 21 Dec 1997, Mike Allison wrote: > You get to have your own opinion and experience, of course, but I think > for a general writing tool, LaTeX is about it. I've typeset books and > even done overhead slides and color photos. > > It does cross references and indexes as well as all the front matter so > well, that I don't know what else to use. > > I think TeX and AMSTeX were, of course, very Math/Sci oriented, but > LaTeX in 2e has become quite a good general purpose publishing package. > > On the other hand, there are a lot of times when I just use a word > processor for most layout tasks since they have most everything in > WYSIWYG. They can't beat LaTeX' power when it comes down to nit picking > little details and perfection, however, (being a typesetter) As far as opinion goes, I very willing to be proven wrong. I can easily get the mm macros to do what you said above, PLUS Neatly making lists, embedded lists, lists enumerated automatically with letters (upper/lower case both automatically available) numbers, Roman numerals, and custom designed bullets. I'm not talking about allowing you do do indent, I'm talking about doing it for you, remembering how many lists are active for you and at what level, what change to make between levels (when you end one sublist and go back to the parent) so that the numbers and the numbering system you asked for when you invoked the list macro works right. Same thing for chapters, figures, diagrams, etc. Nothing yo have to remember, it does it all. I can force this in TeX, but I can't get it all done neatly for me. Same thing for displays, like computer listings, and all this stuff is available automatically for the table for contents, which I don't have to mark things for, because the macros know I want things like that marked. How about 6 different types of standard headers, some pages, some not, for for formal papers, all sorts of standard things that I want macros to do for me. Tell me that LaTeX does this all for me, not that LateX allows it, and I'll be the first to switch. I think that TeX is great, I just don't yet see the neat macro support. ----------------------------+----------------------------------------------- Chuck Robey | Interests include any kind of voice or data chuckr@glue.umd.edu | communications topic, C programming, and Unix. 213 Lakeside Drive Apt T-1 | Greenbelt, MD 20770 | I run Journey2 and picnic, both FreeBSD (301) 220-2114 | version 3.0 current -- and great FUN! ----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
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