Citando a Stephen Harris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
LyX developers already try to make the menus easier and
toolbars more available for _all_ users. I don't think Rich resents
making things easier, but the completely ignorant notion that making
Lyx menus more like Word menus would accomplish such a goal.
First of all, calling any suggestion a "completely ignorant notion"
contributes more to a flame war than to intelligent debate.
Particularly if by your own admission you are assuming a lot of things
to be implied by my original post.
The original poster, Enrique said in part:
> ... or even one single line of LaTeX code is too steep a learning
> curve for the average Word user to ever climb.
SH: If you don't put ERTs, which I think qualifies as a
"single line of LaTeX code", (not just .layouts) inside
the LyX document in order to implement Latex functionality,
how then would it be accomplished? What alternative is
there but to use the menu with Word friendly user jargon?
I think it was quite clear the original question asked for features to
*add* to LyX to make it more friendly to the Word crowd. There's no
need to have an "exclusive OR" mentality. You can add features to make
LyX more user-friendly and still keep the ERT inset for the advanced
user.
As someone previously said, most users don't touch 10% of Word's
features. Likewise, the casual user (the lawyer example seemed quite
good to me) probably wouldn't need to use 90% or more of the
functionality offered by LaTeX.
So what I meant to say is that providing the user with a graphical
interface where they can create layouts and customize the few usual
options for an enviroment (font family, size, spacing, etc.) would
allow them to get started. Most users wouldn't need to write even a
single line of LaTeX code (either in a .layout or in an ERT inset) if
you gave them that.
Looking at how incredibly difficult it is to create a .layout
What is incredibly easy for the advanced user is a major roadblock for
the casual user. Call it what you may, the casual user wants to get
stuff done without having to learn much in the process.
Right now, creating a .layout requires to:
- Do stuff outside the LyX GUI
- Write code (opening the door to potential typos, for example)
Both are major no-no's when designing software for the casual user.
Most casual users simply won't be up to these tasks.
As a software designer, one can have an elitist attitude and say "If
the user can't do this, (s)he's too stupid/lazy to use the program".
But I think the creators of LyX would very much like it to be as
mainstream as Word. In various documents they state the WYSIWYM
paradigm is better for most tasks people use Word for nowadays.
