On 22/03/11 15:51, Rob Oakes wrote: > Dear Users and Developers, > > Thank you to both Pavel and Stefano for ollowing up with Google about why the > GSoC application was turned down. Is there any way that I could help in that > review? Stefano, will you be attending the IRC meeting to be held later > today? I think it's very important that we understand why LyX was rejected as > a mentoring organization, and I'd be willing to hep in any way necessary. > > While I have some ideas about why it may have happened, I think that Pavel > hit the nail on the head. When I talk to people about LyX, they seem to think > of it as a specialized academic writing tool. Basically, a program which > helps professors and students write a thesis or articles. (To be even more > narrow, it seems like many think it is for math and physics people to write a > thesis or article.) Which is to say, a specialized program with an incredibly > small user base and use. > > While that stereotype may be somewhat true (I don't think anyone would argue > that many of the developers and users are within academics), it significantly > understates LyX's appeal, especially if you consider the enhancements > available in the upcoming version. From my own personal experience, I've > found LyX to be the most capable pre-press/writing tool I've ever come > across. If I were a publishing company or involved in the creation of any > type of documentation, I would be looking at LyX very carefully. It's the > only tool that I know that allows you to manage collaboration, typesetting > the final output, and target both electronic and print from the same source. > With the recent explosion of electronic publishing and eBooks, I think that > makes it *highly* relevant. > > Yet, I'm not sure that the wider community appreciates that. (Hearing > Google's rationale for rejecting the GSoC application will help somewhat in > clarifying how LyX is perceived.) Which really brings me to the reason I'm > writing. > > Would it be worth trying to promote LyX to people who might find it helpful? > > We've talked for a long time about writing a LyX book, which is an excellent > and wonderful project. But what if we first tested those waters by tackling > some smaller projects first? > > For example: > > 1.) I just learned about a new open design magazine this morning, called > LibreGraphics magazine (http://libregraphicsmag.com/). The goal of the > publication is to help designers find tools for their work. It seems like an > article about using LyX for book design would be a natural fit for their > target audience. > > 2.) In similar vein, the LibreGraphics meeting is also coming up. This year, > it will be held in Montreal. LibreGraphics targets a similar demographic, and > it seems like such a presentation would be a natural fit. Even better, they > pay the travel expenses of presenters > (http://libregraphicsmeeting.org/2011/). Might anyone be interested in > talking about using LyX to talk about book design, typography, or writing? > > 3.) It's been some time since Linux magazine or one of the other trade > publications published a general purpose article on LyX. Might it be worth > creating and submitting one? We might try and target Linux users magazine > (http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/), ZdNet, or one of the large Linux blogs (like > OMG!Ubuntu, http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/). > > 4.) It seems that there are people willing to help promote/evangelize LyX, > but I'm not sure we offer much in the way of promotional materials to help. > Would it be worthwhile to create a limited number of tutorials for people, > like Venom, who will be holding seminars or workshops? (I've also thought > about teaching a design workshop through my local library, and these > materials would help provide a curriculum.) > > The tutorials could address some of the finer points of using LyX that are > not covered in the manuals. For example, how do you collaborate using version > control? What is the process for creating custom, typeset publications with > LyX and LaTeX? We could publish cohesive examples and then walk through how > the code works. They might describe principles of design, or typographical > effects, and how they can be accomplished using LyX. Maybe we could create a > writeup on how to prepare files for multiple output formats (print, web, > eBook) using a single source. I'm sure that there are other tutorials that > I'm overlooking. > > Which really brings me to the point I want to make: if we target the right > groups and create nice looking materials, it could go a long ways to > clarifying LyX's position in the free-softare world. It's also likely that we > might find developers to contribute time and code, businesses who would be > willing to support future development, and others who could help grow the LyX > user base. > > Many of the other projects who were accepted seem to have dedicated > marketing/promotion teams. Would it be worth trying to organize such an > endeavor for LyX? It might provide a great way for less code savvy types to > contribute to the project. > > Cheers, > > Rob
Not sure if this helps but I produce my local rugby clubs newsletter in LyX and include some LaTeX for some of the formatting (mainly tables) feel free to have a look at http://www.zleap.net/rugby.php I include in the footer that I have created it with LyX and LaTeX I have also used it to produce various other documents such as the joe command reference found elsewhere on my site. Paul -- Paul Sutton Cert SLPS (Open) http://www.zleap.net Easter Fest 2011 - Music and production activities for young people 12 - 19 April 11 - 23rd - The Lighthouse,26 Esplanade Road, Paignton 01803 411 812 or e-mail i...@devonmusiccollective.com for more info. 17th September 2011 - Software freedom day
