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One of the best article titles I've ever seen on HN! I actually L'd OL. I think the author's thesis could be summed up as 'I like WYSIWYG more than markup', wh
by quxbar 9y ago
One of the best article titles I've ever seen on HN! I actually L'd OL.
I think the author's thesis could be summed up as 'I like WYSIWYG more than markup', which is purely a matter of preference. I also know there are several tools which let you do this (to varying degrees of success) with LaTeX as an output. My own preference is having a complete understanding of why everything is where it is in a layout. In my experience WYSIWYG UX has to compromise on its own flexibility and coherence in order to support intuitive and immediate operations around formatting. I have memories of superstitiously pushing bits of padding around when I had to sue word in high school. Editing complex proofs in a WYSIWYG editor seems like an exercise in frustration.
- rocqua 9y agoI think you could replace LaTeX with VIM, and WYSIWYG with an IDE and basically replicate the entire argument for IDEs that is often given. It largely comes down to a ease-of-use vs power and clarity trade-off.
- jgamman 9y agoI thought the author's main point was that the tools seemed to be getting in the way of the student's learning and that OS in general seems to be great _after_ you have your comp sci degree and 1000 hours of RCS to draw on. For people who wish to drive computers as opposed to building them, this seems an unreasonable hurdle and makes paid-for alternatives a rational choice. FWIW I agree.