Re: [tlug] OSS network visualization software, WAS: [Semi-OT] Network connectivity diagnosis

[Martin Killmann <martin@example.com>]

On Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:37:40 +0900 
Kalin KOZHUHAROV <me.kalin@example.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 13:23, Martin Killmann <martin@example.com> wrote:
> >
> > I tried Inkscape but that one doesn't even do text boxes. Reason: "It's
> > not in the SVG spec." Hello? How am I expected to make anything with
> > more than 3 lines of text when I'm not able to specify an area that text
> > stays in? I'm not even talking about text flowing between boxes, kerning
> > or Asian typography or whatever.
> 
> Won't that work when "shape" is a box, i.e. rectangle?
> http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/Text-Flow.html

You illustrate the problem, not the solution.

Yes, it is kind-of-possible to create something like a text box in
Inkscape. But remember my initial criticism of Illustrator, the
unintuitive UI? A program that expects me to create text and box
separately with different tools, and link them with a set of shortcuts
that I have to learn is not intuitive. Intuitive would be to choose the
text tool, click on the worksheet, hold the mouse button, drag a
rectangle, start typing text. 

As a user, I'm interested in getting my work done. If I use a WYSIWYG
application, it is the abstraction layer between me and the SVG specs. I
don't want to be bothered with whatever specs it is using to save its
files. Inkscape fails here, because the SVG spec is its main paradigm,
not the user.

Martin