John Levon writes:
I've turned tens of normal students onto lyx instead
of word (even unix-hating students) entirely as a result of the output.
Yes, but ...
I've never used ms-word, and haven't used any PC word-processing
program since the first version of word-perfect. For 16 years I've
worked strictly in Unix (currently sparc-solaris-2.8), using
troff/groff, then LaTeX with xemacs/auctex, and now with LyX. As an
historian and novelist, I've been a strong advocate of the structured
approach to writing. Despite which, of late I've been considering a
switch to (horrors!) a PC and ms-word. The reason is four-fold:
1. Although we continually say that LyX leaves the user free to
concentrate on content, a review of a few months of the queries and
replies on this list suggests how many simple problems require
complicated, time-consuming solutions in LyX. Firing off a query,
searching Herbert Voss' excellent pages of tips, and crafting
complicated solutions to simple problems in LaTeX is not strong
evidence in favor of the argument that LyX lets you concentrate on
the content.
2. With the exception of a few scientific journals and presses, the
world has unfortunately accepted ms-word as the defacto document
standard. I detest proprietary and non-ascii formats, but after
more than 15 years of resisting the status quo, I'm close to
admitting defeat. In my case, I write for trade (commercial)
publishers, and not being able to submit a manuscript in ms-word
means that it will be typeset by hand, which costs them more and
introduces more errors.
3. I have nothing but praise and admiration for those who have
contributed to the development of LyX, but the process of
development has -- perhaps inevitably -- produced many of the same
problems that LyX users point out for ms-word. The documents for
LyX-1.6.x are not compatible with those of previous versions. The
newest versions are unstable or incomplete; I've been reluctant to
switch to 1.6.x because of the less robust table support. Each
upgrade is accompanied by a barrage of crash and error reports to
this list.
4. The output of the LaTeX typesetting engine is superior to what
I've seen from PC wordprocessors. But for many of us, letters are
the only printer-ready text we produce. Trade publishers do not
seek or accept camera-ready copy: there are too many steps of
editing, copy-editing, legal vetting, and design to produce a
commercial book. Hence the excellence of LaTeX output is in fact
wasted.
I mean none of this as a criticism of LyX, which seems to me a
remarkable development and a remarkable example of the excellence of
the open-source world. Consider it some reflections on why a diehard
Unix and LaTeX/LyX user may be ready to quit.
--
Ronald Florence http://members.home.net/18james
