Keith Smith (keith@ksmith.uucp) wrote:
: ajt>Depends what you mean by 'decent' - TeX is probably the best text
: ajt>processing software I have ever seen and it has been freely available
: 
: You haven't seen much then.  Maybe you should wander around in the mall
: now and again.

Well, Keith - you've got me there:  I'm obviously not as familiar with
mall culture as you are but I've used quite a few word processors over
the years and I'm currently using MS w4w2.

: BTW I have the TeX book. Hehehehe.  Yea, show that to my wife, right.

You are right - TeX has a reputation of being difficult to use, but so
has 'C'.  What the two have in common is that they are popular with the
Unix fraternity because they are well designed and appropriate for the
task.  What I would be interested to know is if MicroScribe was ever
completed by Daniel Lawrence (author of MicroEmacs)?

: ajt>on most Unix platforms for a long time.  Troff/nroff is not bad either
: ajt>and PD versions like mroff have been available for some time.
: 
: Look,  I cut my teeth with TECO and runoff.  Used Pie & TEXT on my CP/M
: box, and as a result can even get around in roff.  But I wouldn't ask my
: wife to try and run it, or anyone else either.  That is not a "Word
: Processor" it is manual Word processing!  Their is a *BIG* difference.

It seems to me that Linux appeals to people for many different reasons
but I am not alone in regarding Linux as an opportunity to run a full
32-bit unix on my PC at home and use the same collection of freely
distributable unix software that I use at work.  Equally, there are
people migrating to Linux from DOS and using unix for the first time. 

I don't think it is possible to meet the requirements of a broad
spectrum of Linux users with a single 'word processor' that is simple
enough for novices to use yet capable enough for the most demanding
applications.  I think nroff comes quite close though!

        Tony.
--
Dr. A.J.Travis,                       |  Tony Travis
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