Re: OT: Choice of OOo and LaTeX (Was: Tool for document management)

["Steve Lamb" <grey@dmiyu.org>]

David Brodbeck wrote:
> As long as you realize it probably won't look the same to the other
> person, unless they have the same Word version, the same operating
> system, and the same fonts.

    It will look similar enough.

> It's rare that someone sends me a complicated Word file and I'm able
> to print it cleanly without adjustments.

    Good thing that what I'm writing is not at all complex.  The two most
complex things are italics and indent-first-line.

> A little free advice:  If you're planning on writing long documents,
> such as books,

    What kind of books?  You description goes on to describe what sounds to
be a technical manual.  Someone else mentioned mathematics.  Another
person talked about technical writing.

    Am I writing a book?  Yes.

    Am I writing a technical book?  No!

    I am writing fiction.  I have no in-line graphics, complex font changes
for examples, silly little icons to denote special sections, massive
indention or the like.  This is strictly line-after-line prose which
could be done plain text except for the fact that I am making use of
italics as a conscious style choice to reinforce when a character is
/'thinking'/ something versus "saying" something.

    So, as I had repeated several times, I'm sure LaTeX is wonderful for
what it is designed for.  However it is not something I am interested in
learning for the purposes I would put it to at this time.  The constant
hammering with examples which are far beyond the requirements of the
style I writing I am engaging in is getting a tad tiresome.  I want
WYSIWYG because it helps me think about what is happening.  I want
simple and easy-to-convert to a common format because I don't know if
and by whom this project would be picked up.  I don't want a complex
programming language because I am writing fiction, not programming an
application!  While they are both creative they are two different modes
of thinking!  While I appreciate that other people find it wonderful for
their tasks I ask that those people also appreciate that not everyone
finds the tools they use as equally suited to their tasks, especially
creative tasks.  Creative tasks are personal.  Processes and tools which
work for one person do not work for someone else.  And that is OK!

-- 
Steve Lamb