On Sun, Jan 10, 1999 at 10:13:30PM +0100, Asger K. Alstrup Nielsen wrote:
> > P.S. - I can forward my letter to the list if folx here are
> > interested. I spoke on behalf of only myself, BTW.
>
> I am interested. I speak on behalf of only myself, BTW.
>
> ;-)
Well, since there's at least one, here it is [in *.lyx format, of
course ;) ]
--
John Weiss
On a train, someplace between Pawling and White Plains...
#This file was created by <candide> Sun Dec 27 11:19:29 1998
#LyX 1.0 (C) 1995-1998 Matthias Ettrich and the LyX Team
\lyxformat 2.15
\textclass article
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\end_preamble
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\layout Standard
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
\layout Standard
To the Editor of the
\emph on
Linux Journal
\emph default
:
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When I received my January, 1999 issue of the
\emph on
Linux Journal
\emph default
, I immediately noticed the article about LyX.
I then proceeded to read this article.
I was, unfortunately, struck by numerous inaccuracies.
\layout Standard
First, I was dismayed --- nay, insulted --- to see the statement:
\begin_inset Quotes eld
\end_inset
Now back to the documentation.
[\SpecialChar \ldots{}
] most of the files are not too detailed [\SpecialChar \ldots{}
].
\begin_inset Quotes erd
\end_inset
Since I am the former editor of the LyX Documentation Project and personally
wrote about half of the
\emph on
User's Guide
\emph default
, I know for a fact that this statement is flat-out false.
Seriously, though, the article's description of using a file descriptor
to open a manual named
\family typewriter
Main.lyx
\family default
does not describe version 0.12, but one of the earlier versions of the 0.10
release.
The file descriptor long ago disappeared, replaced by 6 menu entries for
each of the primary manuals.
These manuals, in turn, are highly detailed and complete.
I highly recommend Amir Karger's
\emph on
Tutorial
\emph default
as a place to start.
Only the
\emph on
Customization
\emph default
and
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Reference
\emph default
manuals remain incomplete and krufty.
\layout Standard
A second error is the description of an error message due to a missing X-server
font.
I am perplexed; I never saw any such bug report cross the LyX developers'
mailing list since the 0.9 development series over 3 years ago.
Back then, Asger Alstrup Nielsen worked hard to improve the font-drawing
code.
His continued work over the past few years make loading even a huge document
[e.
\protected_separator
g.
\protected_separator
the
\emph on
User's Guide
\emph default
] quite speedy.
Only a 486 [such as my laptop] will show any delay due to X-server font
loading.
\layout Standard
In another mistake, the article states:
\begin_inset Quotes eld
\end_inset
Change the template file by hand using any plain text editor.
Please please
\emph on
please do not
\emph default
edit any LyX file by hand with a text editor.
You
\emph on
will
\emph default
render it unreadable by LyX [unless you really, really know what you're
doing, and even then, you'll screw up occasionally --- I speak from experience].
\layout Standard
There are several minor mistakes, including:
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There is no longer a
\family typewriter
~/.lyxrc
\family default
file.
Instead, there is a
\family typewriter
~/.lyx/
\family default
directory where you can put all sorts of user customizations.
\layout Itemize
While you
\emph on
can
\emph default
compile LyX with version 0.81 of XForms, the LyX Team strongly recommends
use of version 0.88, which is far less buggy.
LyX will also run much better.
\layout Itemize
LyX is
\emph on
not
\emph default
a LaTeX editor; it's a
\begin_inset Quotes eld
\end_inset
Document Processor
\begin_inset Quotes erd
\end_inset
[to quote the 6 manuals, the
\family typewriter
README
\family default
file, and the
\family typewriter
man
\family default
page].
You don't need LaTeX to use LyX --- I'm runnning LyX right now on my old
laptop, which doesn't have LaTeX installed.
LaTeX is merely one of the ways LyX generates prinable output.
Another way is via the LinuxDoc/SGML Tools.
\layout Itemize
LyX is
\emph on
not
\emph default
WYSIWYG, and never will be.
It is WYSIWYM [==What You See Is What You
\emph on
Mean
\emph default
], a term defined in the 6 manuals, the
\family typewriter
README
\family default
file, the
\family typewriter
man
\family default
page, as well as in emails on both mailing lists.
\begin_deeper
\layout Standard
LyX does't waste time, code, and memory trying to reproduce the printed
page, a superfluous feat.
Instead, it provides you with contextual, visual
\begin_inset Quotes eld
\end_inset
cues
\begin_inset Quotes erd
\end_inset
that imply the printed result in a natural, often intuitive fashion.
[I wrote large chunks of my doctoral dissertation without doing a
\begin_inset Quotes eld
\end_inset
dvi preview.
\begin_inset Quotes erd
\end_inset
]
\end_deeper
\layout Standard
I don't intend to belittle Ulrich Quill's efforts in writing this article.
I only wish he had made certain his reporting was accurate.
Had he contacted the LyX developers' mailing list, we could have assisted
him with the article, as well as told him about certain important changes:
\layout Itemize
The new official LyX homepage is at
\family typewriter
http://www.lyx.org/
\family default
.
It contains links to everything else, including a more up-to-date link
for KLyX.
\layout Itemize
The official LyX FTP site is
\family typewriter
ftp.lyx.org
\family default
[yes, it's still at
\family typewriter
via.ecp.fr
\family default
, but should that ever change,
\family typewriter
ftp.lyx.org
\family default
will point to the new location].
\layout Itemize
By the beginning of January, 1999, LyX version 1.0.0 will be out.
It will include complete manuals, more supported document classes, integrated
LaTeX input, and, of course, many bugfixes.
\layout Itemize
For vversion 1.1.0, LyX and KLyX will converge due to the Team's efforts towards
GUI-Toolkit independence.
If you're on a Toolkit Jihad, it will be easy to port LyX to The One True
Toolkit.
[We'll initially support XForms, QT, and GTK.]
\layout Standard
I have one final note to anyone wishing to write an article for the
\emph on
Linux Journal
\emph default
and get their name in lights.
When writing about a program, please do contact that software's development
team! I often see articles about Linux in the professional IT journals
at work, articles that are full of falsehoods and other bad reporting.
[One such article stated that the many Linux distributions were binary
incompatible.
Heh?!] If we can't report about ourselves with accuracy, how can we expect
others to do the same?
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P.
\protected_separator
S.: These opinions are my own, not those of the LyX Team as a whole.
\the_end
