On Fri, Jan 22, 1999 at 09:35:16PM +0200, Martin Vermeer wrote:
>
> What we need really is not so much NUMERICALLY more classes and layouts, but
> ways to tailor the ones we have in many small ways.
You've captured the distinction between new classes and layouts ("Cs/Ls"),
verses what I'd call "templates" that take advantage of existing Cs/Ls.
We need some templates, certainly. Having several might be a very
positive development. I'm not talking about duplicating the 50 formats
that pop up as options in the M$ Word "wizards" type facility. But I
could formulate a list of 5 to as many as 20 that might attract new user
interest.
I suppose that any template that includes lots of additions to a LaTeX
preamble, you'd want to convert to a new C/L, right? (This would certainly
be desirable for my Business Plan and Presentation Book documents). To
the extent that we can introduce new Cs/Ls, like Hollywood, that's great.
Or is it? Is there a problem shipping new Cs/Ls with LyX? Users will
be installing different LaTeX distributions, and even teTeX can end up
in different places.
Are we looking at having to write a perl "class/layout" install facility,
that scans your drives, identifies your distribution, and makes intelligent
decisions about where new Cs/Ls belong?
Are you all familiar with The Gimp's "plug-in registry"? ***Are we
ready to step up to the plate and really take advantage of what the open
source word has to offer?*** Widen the development base--specifically,
getting people focused on developing new Cs/Ls (or maybe what's called "LyX
textclasses?), with accompanying templates?
Having taken time to prepare a standard docs for my own work, *that's*
where LyX becomes so obviously an evolutionary step beyond any other
word processor ever made.
I can imagine what could happen in just six months of growing open source
development after LyX 1.0 is released, if it's focused on templates and
Cs/Ls. If we have facilities in place so that users can share document
Cs/Ls and easily "plug-in" each others work, after an easy download from
a "registry", LyX could leapfrog into something utterly amazing.
Best regards
--
Larry S. Marso
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
