On 27 Sep 2000, Jean-Marc Lasgouttes wrote:
> Please think twice before doimg this. Think about what we want to do
> with LyX, and why LyX is not KWord. Why would people bother with
> styles if they can just change the typeface to large bold, add a
> number and pretend this is a section heading? This is exactly what
> happens with msword: the style system is here, but most people do not
> use it.
>
> While it would not be wise to prevent people to change character size,
> when somebody does it so often that the Character popup is not good
> enough, then there is an _other_ problem somewhere.
>
> JMarc
>
hmmm...
this is a difficult one. at the very least I don't think this argument
applies to Family - I use Typewriter all the time.
If we want to guide the user to using LyX properly, fair enough, we'll
make it default to not having combo boxes for Size and maybe others ...
But Family, Shape, and Series all have useful stuff that I don't
think will mislead them !
I always feel very edgy when it is suggested we should make things
difficult for people - in the end the wilful user will misuse lyx anyway
(all the while wondering why it's so difficult), and someone who genuinely
needs such will just be annoyed by it.
So I say, default to no Size combobox, but include at least Family and
shape somehow...
this is a very difficult set of decisions to make, as this is a crucial
interface. I agree with you to a large degree though !
would other people like to comment ?
thanks
john
--
"Ten decimals [digits of Pi] are sufficient to give the circumference of
the earth to the fraction of an inch, and thirty decimals would give
the circumference of the whole visible universe to a quantity
imperceptible with the most powerful microscope."
- Simon Newcomb
