[OS X TeX] Doh!

[Dr.John R.Vokey]

C'mon people.  LaTeX is as LaTeX is, as the quote below makes clear..  
It's cool; it's fine.  For those who dig it.  And not, for those who 
don't.  I have given up proselteyzing: I have done what I can do, and 
it rarely works.  All of my students and former students (and those who 
they have infected, in turn) use LaTeX.  A legacy of sorts (born of the 
simple rule that no M$ Crapola is tolerated on my lab computers).  The 
rest: don't.  They are not my concern.  As Washoe (the Chimpanzee) so 
aptly observed, they are ``bugs''---beyond my (or Washoe's) ken.  So 
what?  Leave them to M$ Absurd, and other equally laughable POS 
applications.  Why would you (or we) care?  Yes, we all would like 
LaTeX to be easier for the uninitiated.  And, no, it can't really get 
any easier than it is and still be LaTeX (see LyX).  So, who cares?  If 
they want M$ Absurd, so be it.  As a senior scientist, I demand at a 
minimum a pdf (in correct APA format) before I review---not some POS M$ 
Absurd document that rarely translates anyway.  Otherwise, I don't 
review.  Simple.  On the other side: a journal that refuses to review 
my *perfectly APA formatted pdf* (via apa.cls) submission, never sees 
my submissions again.  Again, simple.  You don't have to tolerate 
shite, so don't.  Or not: it is your life.  Pick your battles.


On 16-Nov-04, at 6:00 PM, TeX on Mac OS X Mailing List wrote:

> On Nov 15, 2004, at 5:23 PM, Alain Schremmer wrote:
>
>> Re. Making LaTeX simple enough. I am simply not convinced that it is
>> not feasible.
>
> Many smart people have tried to put WYSIWYG front-ends on typesetting
> languages for over 25 years. They all failed. The reason is that the
> syntax and meaning of typesetting languages like TeX are too rich and
> subtle for simple-to-use visual metaphors. sooner or later, and
> typically sooner, the underlying language "leaks out" from under the
> visual interface.
>
> -- F
--
John R. Vokey, PhD
Professor
B.E.R.G. - Behaviour and Evolution Research Group
Micro-Cognition Laboratory
Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4
CANADA

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