On 17/04/2012 8:43 p.m., PhilipPirrip wrote:
Excuse me for not trying what you've done, but I have to ask first: why do you think this is better than using Mendeley, for instance, or some other bibliography management software?
I don't (not that I've ever tried any bibliography manager) but it is better than editing a bibliography in a text editor, which is what I used before. So why don't I get Mendeley (or whatever)? There are many answers to that: life is short and there are lots of things I want to learn other than new software; I already know how to use LyX, I don't know how to use Mendeley; my needs in this area are likely to be sporadic at most -- plenty of time between uses to forget how to use unfamiliar software.
The same kind of issue arose last year in relation to spreadsheet capabilities for LyX. I've spent considerable effort getting the LaTeX spreadtab package to work harmoniously with LyX. It means now that on those sporadic occasions when I have columns of figures to add up (for the accountant for instance), I can stay with familiar software -- LyX -- to do something that simply doesn't require the heavy machinery of Gnumeric, and trying to remember how to use it. (The struggle -- even anguish? -- of the LyX developers getting to grips with git has been fascinating to observe.)
Once one has moved out of the professional or academic environment, the need for professional software in many secondary fields evaporates. All one needs is something with which one is familiar and that will do an adequate job on those sporadic occasions when it is called for.
A bit of a rant, I know, but it touches a sensitive spot with me (but thanks for the question).
Andrew
