mailing-list for TeXmacs Users

[Anderson Brasil <address@hidden>]

  I am having trouble trying to learn texmacs. I have printed on paper 
the user manual and looked for a few tutorials on the net, so I could 
learn at least the very basic facts. After having decided to fully 
imigrate to texmacs, and started to writing slightly more sofisticated 
documents, I got stuck. And the help menu didn't help me at all.
   Let me show an example: at this very moment, I am trying to insert a 
picture in a document. So I loaded the picture on it by choosing 
INSERT/IMAGE/INSERT IMAGE on the menu (actually it didn't worked when my 
picture was at PGN format but it was easier to convert it to EPS than to 
find out what the problem is). But the picture was too big, so I need to 
reduce its side. But there is no way how to do it, at least not a way I 
could find. I tried typing F1 and search for "resize image" and found a 
page man-images.en.tm when I can read:
"(...) By default, images are displayed at their design size. The 
following operations are supported on images:
1) Clipping the images following a rectangle. The lower left corner of  
the default image is taken as the origin for specifying a rectangle for  
clipping.
2) Resizing an image. When specifying a new width, but no height at the
 prompt (or vice versa), the image is resized so as to preserve the aspect
 ration.
3) Magnifying the image. An alternative way to resize an image, by
 multiplying the width and the height by a constant.
(...)"

   It says that the feature do exists, but do not tell me how to do it, 
so it isn't useful at all. It is just a small example about the kind of 
dificulty I am having. The texmac developer(s) is making a really good 
job on this, but I still think that the interface need be more polished. 
With a little bit of patience, a not very dumb person can learn how to 
do anything using microsoft word (or openoffice), but it doens't happen 
here on texmacs. At least simple common tasks should have a graphic and 
obvious interface, like actions on graphics or turning on/off 
pagenumbering (another thing I can't do) and stuff like that. Another 
problematic thing about learning texmacs is the keyboard shortcut used. 
Windows users (who are 95% of computer users) and most linux users (like 
myself)  are so used to type CTRL-Z when they need to undo things that 
they do automatically. At texmacs it is replaced by another keyboard 
shortcut. Actually, all the behaviour of the editor is very diferent 
from what most text editors do (i couldn't tell how many times I did 
erased almost the whole document because I've clicked with the mouse's 
cursor - trying to set the mouse's cursor in a certain position as I am 
used to - and then pressed backspace to erase a single caracter).
   Two final observations:
1) I am senting those criticisms about the dificulty of learning texmacs 
expecting to contribute to make it better, by pointing out what I think 
is a major problem about this. I think that the program is great. The 
idea is exceptionally good, it just need some polishing.
2) In this list I see a lot of people who knows how to do almost 
"esoteric" things, so they somehow have learned it. So I am asking what 
is the best way to learn it. How to find the answers when you got stuck 
in the middle of a document? (most usually, when you need urgently to 
finish it).

   Cordially, [and with excuses due to this cold murder of the english 
language]

   Anderson Brasil