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IMO basic Git + your text editor of choice is much better for academic collaboration. I use Vim for text editing and don't want to be forced into some web editi

IMO basic Git + your text editor of choice is much better for academic collaboration. I use Vim for text editing and don't want to be forced into some web editing tool. Also, when I review student writing I want them to actually look at the edits I make and understand the reasoning behind them. Overleaf makes that harder. I know there is Git integration but last time I checked it was kind of clanky and also required the paid version.

abhgh 2y ago
For the reason behind edits, my collaborators and I profusely use the comments system in overleaf. This is not the same as a file diff that you might do with git, but we have got used to it now without any big changes to our larger workflow. (Tangential to your specific point but relevant to many comments here: if your collaborators are not from CS or are not s/w savvy, using git directly is not an option for them. For people who want to just use LaTeX, Overleaf lowers the minimum skill requirement to just knowing LaTeX. This is a big benefit it brings to the table.)
obsoletehippo 2y ago
You could use comments and track changes? It's really only techies who feel the need to turn writing text into a laborious version control problem.
mglz 2y ago
Unfortunately basic experience with git at universities is not something you can expect. Especially professors cause a lot of damage frequently due to not taking/having the time to learn it properly.
ufo 2y ago
I'm also a fan of git+text editor but I do miss the collaborative editing. In the final stage of writing a paper, I want to be able to sit on a video conference call and both people edit the document at the same time, without having to stop to push and pull every little edit. Unfortunately, it seems that most collaborative editing tools are web or work on a client-server model where only the "server" has the actual files and can compile them to pdf. (The client can collaboratively edit raw latex but can't see the resulting pdf)
nanna 2y ago
Overleaf supports a basic git push and pull setup. Everything on one branch, no staging, no commit messages on overleafs side. I've used it for pulling to a server and then having new Tex files migrated into wordpress. It worked pretty well for that.

abhgh 2y ago

For the reason behind edits, my collaborators and I profusely use the comments system in overleaf. This is not the same as a file diff that you might do with git, but we have got used to it now without any big changes to our larger workflow. (Tangential to your specific point but relevant to many comments here: if your collaborators are not from CS or are not s/w savvy, using git directly is not an option for them. For people who want to just use LaTeX, Overleaf lowers the minimum skill requirement to just knowing LaTeX. This is a big benefit it brings to the table.)

obsoletehippo 2y ago

You could use comments and track changes? It's really only techies who feel the need to turn writing text into a laborious version control problem.

mglz 2y ago

Unfortunately basic experience with git at universities is not something you can expect. Especially professors cause a lot of damage frequently due to not taking/having the time to learn it properly.

ufo 2y ago

I'm also a fan of git+text editor but I do miss the collaborative editing. In the final stage of writing a paper, I want to be able to sit on a video conference call and both people edit the document at the same time, without having to stop to push and pull every little edit. Unfortunately, it seems that most collaborative editing tools are web or work on a client-server model where only the "server" has the actual files and can compile them to pdf. (The client can collaboratively edit raw latex but can't see the resulting pdf)

nanna 2y ago

Overleaf supports a basic git push and pull setup. Everything on one branch, no staging, no commit messages on overleafs side. I've used it for pulling to a server and then having new Tex files migrated into wordpress. It worked pretty well for that.