On Mon, 21 Oct 2013 07:17:09 -0700 (PDT) "Edward K. Ream" <edream...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Exactly right. And that's what hooked me the instant I prototyped > Leo using the MORE outliner! > > Not sure why you said "you can specify a computer program as an > outline like thing in an outliner like setting." Why not just say, > "write a computer program in an outline?" Is there some nuance I am > missing? Hi Edward, There are probably a million reasons I said it like that, but I think the main one is my everpresent, brightly burning belief that a program should be designed before its coded. Remember those guys, back in the day, who after receiving their programming assignment, would go to the keyboard and start pounding out C code? Remember their finished product? Remember how long it took them to finally complete the project? Meanwhile, when receiving an assignment, I'd spend hours to days with a bunch of paper, drawing diagrams. By the time I sat down at the terminal, I knew my data structures and algorithms. The hours to days head start of the "start coding immediately" guys evaporated because for me, coding was just a secretarial task, and I was required to do less refactoring, or even worse, kludging. Later, sometimes I'd substitute an outliner for the diagrams on paper; in the days of functional decomposition, an outliner was the perfect fit. Back to your question: If all I needed to do was WRITE a program, I'd just sit down at a computer and start pounding out C or Python or Lua or whatever. But that's not my style. I need to DESIGN a program, and after all, a design is just a specification of how the program is going to be written. So it seems to me that I *design* the program on Leo, and then, when the time comes, I flip a switch and Leo *writes* the program for me. That's how I'd view what I've heard about Leo. (See note at the bottom of this email for clarification) As soon as I have free time, I'm going to do the Leo Hello World program that Gatesphere recommended, and then I'll be able to express myself better. > Ohhh yes, it helped. > > As the direct result of your comments, I realized that I have been > missing *the* easiest marketing opportunity: the announcement about > Leo! The first words of the announcement *must* list Leo's key > benefits, and perhaps even say why Leo trumps Emacs org mode and > vimoutline mode. This is a major opportunity missed. I'll correct > it for the b1 announcement. I'd be careful about making such assertions. For instance, Leo would have a mighty long way to go to beat VimOutliner in speed of transferring thoughts from mind to file. Org mode can design Docbook. Many outliners have their niche. I'd view Leo's niche as designing programs, and then flipping a switch and having Leo write them. That's *huge*, and is only peripherally related to the fact that Leo can function as an outliner. ============================== NOTE: I know from reading that what really happens is that the program code gets created as the Leo outline gets added to --- you don't "flip a switch" at the end and poof, a program shows up. The switch flipping thing is an image that helps me envision the benefits of Leo, even though it isn't quite accurate. ============================== Thanks, SteveT Steve Litt * http://www.troubleshooters.com/ Troubleshooting Training * Human Performance -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "leo-editor" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to leo-editor+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to leo-editor@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/leo-editor. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
