On Mon, 28 Feb 2005, Martin A. Hansen wrote:
i am also interested in strong pro/con arguments i can use (i am aware of the feature list etc). please fill in below :o)
Martin,
pros:
free well written and intelligent docs superb bibliographies using bibtex
I'm an ecologist so perhaps my perspective is aligned with members of your group. There are many more reasons to use LyX/LaTeX than those you have listed. These include:
-- If you define departmental/group standards for reports and other documents then no one need pay any attention to formatting; it's done automatically for the writer.
-- The writer can focus on the content and leave the formatting and page layout to the software.
-- The printed results are typeset (the unit is the paragraph) rather than printed by a word processor (the unit is the line). This visual appeal makes the reader more accepting of the document.
-- Table of Contents, Lists (Figures, Tables) are automatically generated and updated when the author moves text within the document.
-- Mathematical equations are "professionally" presented.
-- Figures are fit to the page according to typographic standards; they look better.
-- Cross references and reference citations are automatically numbered and maintained.
-- If journals in which you'd publish provide LaTeX classes then articles can be submitted camera-ready.
-- Producing output via pdflatex lets you distribute your document without worry that others will alter it.
-- Unlimited flexibility. All versions produce data files that are readable by newer versions. (Try reading a win95 .doc on w2k or xp; I am told it cannot be easily done.)
cons:
lyx/word exchange is horrible
Well, if everyone uses LyX this is not an issue.
The real cons include:
-- A longer learning curve once you need to move beyond the basics.
-- Thinking about what you're doing.
-- Change scares people.
Rich
-- Dr. Richard B. Shepard, President Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc. (TM) <http://www.appl-ecosys.com> Voice: 503-667-4517 Fax: 503-667-8863
