I just checked in a new version of splash.lyx. I added a lot, and heavily
edited what was there. I have no idea if I made the sort of doc people were
hoping for, so I'll include it here for extended discussion (and because
otherwise my letter would be way too short :) Surprisingly, it's only 64
lines. (It's 1.5 pages in dvi using LyX's ridiculously huge margins.)
Since the obvious goal for this thing is to be as short as possible, I've
included the question that each item answers. I think it effectively
describes why each item needs to be in splash.lyx.
As may or may not be clear, my main goal here is to give a superbrief
description of what lyx is for the first-time user. I also try to answer a
couple super-faqs. (Perhaps I should say "you can't type two spaces in a
row." But I guess that's in the beginning of the Introduction.
> Welcome to LyX!
>
> Top N Things to know when using LyX
It's not 10 any more. Besides, "10" is hardly WYSIWYM :)
> 1. This file only appears the first time you use LyX. If you want to
> see it again, just select ``Open'' from the ``File'' menu (which
> we abbreviate as File->Open), click on the Examples button, and
> open the file splash.lyx
What is this document?
> 2. LyX is what we call a ``document processor.'' Its main difference
> from standard word processors is that you set the style (or ``logical
> markup'') of a paragraph by using the drop-down ``combobox'' in
> the top-left corner. LyX then worries about the typesetting details
> for you. For much more info on this topic, see the docs.
What is LyX? Just another Word Processor?
> 3. Otherwise, LyX shares many features with standard word processors.
> Menus, toolbar, and mouse, as well as commands like Open, Save,
> Paste, and Spellcheck, will work (mostly) like you expect.
Is it so different from WP's that I should be scared?
> 4. LyX comes with excellent documentation---please use it! Start with
> the (very short) Help->Introduction, which will give you a brief
> introduction to the documentation. Then learn about using LyX with
> Help->Tutorial.
Why read the docs? [This is actually the main point of the whole splash.lyx
concept, afaiac. I would've put this even earlier, but figured we needed the
"what is lyx" stuff first.]
> 5. There are a bunch of different document types, or ``textclasses,''
> including but definitely not limited to letter, various sorts of
> articles (e.g., for different journals), and book. When you start
> writing a document, choose the class in Layout->Document. Different
> layouts are available for different textclasses.
What can I write with LyX?
> 6. It may be easier to write a document such as a letter by using a
> template (File->New from template and click on the Templates button)
> instead of starting from scratch. There are also many example files,
> which complement the documentation (File->Open and click on the
> Examples button).
How do I write a simple document? [stressing templates will IMO make things
easier for newbies. Which of course makes the template effort---hey! we
could call it "LArry's Templates/EXamples"!---that much more important.]
> 7. If you know LaTeX, you can hit the TeX button and type regular LaTeX
> text and commands, which will appear in red. You can also add LaTeX
> preamble matter (such as \usepackage commands) with Layout->LaTeX Preamble.
> And yes, LyX can import LaTeX documents; try File->Import.
Yeah, LyX sounds neat, but what if I want to write LaTeX?
> 8. LyX is an international program! Writing non-English text is easy.
> Moreover, menus and error messages are available in many languages,
> and some of the documentation has been translated from English.
> See Help->Customization for details.
What if my English isn't so good? [or, What if I want to write non-English
documents?]
> 9. Many operations give feedback in the status line (or ``minibuffer'')
> at the bottom of the main LyX window. Typing in the minibuffer allows
> you to use enhanced functionality which is not yet fully implemented
> in the menus; in other words, don't type in the minibuffer unless
> you know what you're doing!
What's that empty line at the bottom of the screen?
> 10. Configure LyX by changing your lyxrc file (~/.lyx/lyxrc) with a text
> editor like vi or emacs
How do I configure LyX?
> 11. The LyX home page is at www.lyx.org. Get information about LyX, subscribe
> to the LyX mailing list(s), check out the LyX development effort,
> and more.
Where do I get more info? [Thought: should I put an ad for the LGT here?]
> 12. If you find a bug in LyX, please see Help->Known Bugs to see whether
> the bug has already been reported. If you don't see it there, please
> take time to report it to the LyX developer's mailing list.
"Mr. Rico, your job is to hunt bugs." [or something like that; apparently
gutenberg hasn't got a hold of heinlein yet]
Thoughts & responses welcome from anyone who managed to get this far.
-Amir
