mailing-list for TeXmacs Users

[Daniele Pighin <address@hidden>]

Alle 04:37, sabato 8 febbraio 2003, michael graffam ha scritto:

> Your basic argument is that there is a learning curve
> with TeXmacs -- its strange to people, and they don't
> bother to learn it. So is Linux! So is Emacs! So is
> TeX! So is just about EVERY piece of software worth
> knowing!

You didn't get my point, instead.
I'm not saying that is hard to learn TeXmacs (though it is, and nobody would 
complain if it was better and easier). I'm saying that Joris and David have 
always been complaining about the lack of programmers, and I'm suggesting 
that moving to a more used toolkit would let more programmers join in and 
help them, as they shouldn't learn to code using an otherwise-useless 
toolkit.

Moreover, of course, the use of a modern toolkit would allow for a better and 
easier interface, which is no bad thing at all: I agree that if a software is 
good you use it also if it is difficult to learn, but it is stupid to refuse 
to make it better and easier, if you can.

> Popups? Dialogs? My vote is 'nay'. I _LIKE_ the
> TeXmacs interface -- I am old-time Emacs user -- and I
> don't want dialogs and popups getting in my way!

You're still shifting focus, as I'm always concerned about the developers and 
their approach to the project.
My thought is: a more standard interface ==> more users ==> more programmers, 
to make TeXmacs even better than it is.
If you want a decently crowded base of developers you can't just count on 
those who "love" a software and are faithful to it, you should rather try to 
attract also those who are curious about it and want to land a hand.

> I personally don't see the point in rushing it. It
> will happen in time.

If it has to happen, why not let it happen?

> I certainly don't support a feature freeze. As a
> TeXmacs user the toolkit is quite unimportant to me.

My point is that if the developers focused on this task (and this task only) 
it wouldn't take long to have a working port. So the feature freeze wouldn't 
last long at all, and maybe we users wouldn't either notice it (there have 
been times indeed during which TeXmacs wouldn't be updated for several 
weeks).

Anyhow, I'm glad I had someone to discuss with :)

Daniele