For those who may be interested: Most of the editors mentioned in this sub-thread are from the Unix/Linux world although most of them are available for Windows these days (Unix stuff should run natively on OS-X for the Apple fans). Emacs started out as a text editor but has over time evolved into more of a computing environment, an application that does everything, 180 degrees away from the Unix philosophy (many small applications that can interact); you either love it or hate it, there is no middle ground.
Perhaps the most exotic editing system mention is the LyX/LaTeX one I comment on. Tex (LaTeX is an enhanced version) is the original Unix formating/typesetting program. It takes a text file and turns it into a completely formated Postscript file to send to the printer or typesetting machine. LyX is a graphical text editor that uses templates to tell LaTeX how to format the page(s). Once you have a template you simply type in your text and send it and the template to LaTeX and a completely formated document comes out. Business letters all come out with identical formating. Writing a novel? Every chapter comes out with the same format ready to be printed. A dissertation? Completely formatted including all footnotes and citations. So one can easily see what I meant about using it to write a 100 volume encyclopedia. Overkill for most uses, but once set up it is as easy to use as a basic text editor; simply select a template, type in your text, spell check it, and print it. Saves hours of formating hassles. The text/programing editor I normally use is Wordpad (the free version, the pro versions is more of a programing environment). I also use Word 2003 because someone gave me Office 2003, and because it is pretty much the standard out there although it is bloatware taken to an extreme and takes about a week to figure out how to shut off all those unwanted features everytime I have to reload it. BTW, Wordpad that comes with Win XP is not bad as a basic wordprocessor. David Savage wrote: > I'm reading this sub-thread and it's all whistling over my head. (I know > about LISP, as Autocad uses it, but the rest is gobbledygook :-) . > > You guy's are such computer geek's <vbg> > > For the record, if I need to write a letter, report etc & it can't be hand > written, I used MS Word/Excel at work & the Open Office equivalent at home > > Cheers, > > Dave > > At 03:04 AM 17/10/2007, Adam Maas wrote: >> BBEdit is superb. I miss it (Running a Vista system as my main box right >> now, need to get another Mac). >> >> -Adam >> >> >> P. J. Alling wrote: >>> Sorry my text editor of choice is KEdit, a windows version of XEdit. >>> Extensible using REX, (I think I have a REX manual around here >>> somewhere), a language that is one understandable by mere mortals and >>> doesn't lead me to trying to rewrite the editor entirely, so I actually >>> get some work done. >>> >>> Gonz wrote: >>>> Then you need to run M-x doctor. >>>> (ever tried that?) >>>> :) > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
