I'm looking into the possibility of using LyX for design documentation, and I'd
like to get some feedback on the feasibility of what I'd like to do, and
recommendations for packages that might help.
We currently manage all of our design documentation as Microsoft Word
documents. There are numerous problems with this, which I probably don't have
to describe to the readership of this list.
The advantages I see to using LyX are:
More standardized output. We have Word templates, but obviously Word allows
people to munge the doc however they like and, frankly, very few people
actually know how to use Word, so they tend to screw things up with no idea how
to fix it. I think an appropriate document class can provide consistent layout
and formatting (though I'm a raw novice with LyX and LaTeX).
Prettier, more readable output. LaTeX just produces better results than Word.
Better change management. We can put our documents in CVS! And perhaps even
merge changes from parallel work streams, etc.
Easier document creation/editing. Word is a PITA to use, and people tend to
spend lots of time tweaking things. I think separating text entry from
fiddling with formatting (and making fiddling with formatting hard) will
significantly reduce time spent on documentation.
Those are my theories. Comments are appreciated.
The disadvantages I see are:
Everyone knows Word -- or thinks they do -- and they're going to be somewhat
reluctant to change. If there are any difficulties or obstacles, they won't
want to do it.
It may not be feasible for a novice like me to produce a document class that
provides the layout we want.
My thinking is that the way to address the first disadvantage is to provide
them with a document class that makes the documents very easy to produce, with
zero formatting fiddling required. Unfortunately, that exacerbates the second
disadvantage, unless, perhaps, someone else already has something which is very
close to what we need?
I'll address the specifics of the format we're looking for in a separate
e-mail. All comments about experiences with similar uses of LyX are highly
appreciated.
Thanks,
Shawn.
