Re: tlug: Transitioning to Linux (was: Many Faces on Linux)

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "Manu" == Manuel M T Chakravarty <chak@example.com> writes:

    Manu> "Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com> wrote,

    >> I don't like the output from latex2html for one thing, or the
    >> way it structures the tree.  And it's at least as limiting as
    >> creating your own markup language, perhaps more so, if you have
    >> the time to muck with your own .sty files a bit.

    Manu> I think, it is usually good to use an input language that is
    Manu> widely used and supported, as you have more tools etc.

I don't _think_ Jim Breen was talking about SGML, but I am.  Tools are
there or coming.  Eg, PSGML is much less mature but in many ways much
nicer than AUC-TeX for editing.

Writing tools for TeX is a bitch because of the funky syntax.

    Manu> I don't think there is another text formatting language that
    Manu> combines LaTeX's power and widespread use.

Granted.  For the nitty-gritty, impress the serious professional
stuff, I'm going to do it in LaTeX.  My application is class notes,
maybe leading to a book project.

    Manu> Do you now LaTeX's `version' package?  Quite useful for such
    Manu> things.  Also for automagically outcommenting some drafty or
    Manu> todo stuff in a pre-release of a document or for having two
    Manu> versions of a document in one source file.

No, I don't; Debian (and TurboLinux) TeX docs leave a lot to be
desired.  It's hard to know what's new and improved, and I've not
spent a lot of time on searching for it.

    Manu> Actually, I was wondering whether it might be worthwhile
    Manu> trying to extend LaTeX and maybe ghostview such that they
    Manu> can provide some of the animations that you have in a tool
    Manu> like power point - this probably would be much less work
    Manu> than trying to get the typesetting right in MagicPoint.

Not likely, for LaTeX.  It would be at least as ugly and kludgey as
the picture environment.

As for ghostview, ghostscript is being extended to Display PostScript, 
so ghostview/gv should be extensible too.

    Manu> TeX rules :-)

\hrule or \vrule?

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