Martin Hansen wrote:
> hello again > > > thank you very much for the input. > > apparently noone have any slideshow presentations introducing lyx to the ignorant word user. Second this idea enthusiastically. > > i hereby suggest we make one - and perhaps even include it in the documentation on lyx.org? > > but first i will summon up the pro/con input from the mailing list: > > > pros: > ===== > I would add the use of beamer as a presentation tool and would also suggest that we make the presentation in beamer if there is support for that., Would also add that as a departmental effort a couple of postgrads could probably churn out a layout file specifically for the departments needs which would give a coherent look to all papers emanating from the dept. The same could be done with a base beamer presentation. > * easy to use and stable > > * free > > * well written and intelligent docs > > * focus on content instead of layout > > * the printed output is truely typeset giving nicer output > > * table of contents, lists, etc are automatic (with no errors like word) > > * superb bibliographies using bibtex > > * cross references are awesome > > * cross references (and citition dito) are automatically numbered and maintained > > * departmental/group standard documents gets lean > > * math equations are handled professionally > > * journals may provide latex classes of thier own > > * it is possible to make pdf files with pdflatex Its not just possible, I personally have never used anything else on lyx. Indeed it could be a departmental standard. Hence one could sell that as a standard output form which everyone from a windows world will be comfortable with compared to dvi or ps for example which could be briefly mentioned in passing. > > * uses a text file format allowing for easy and full back compatibility > > * encourages structured thinking with putting in the section and subsection when one starts writing > > * tables and graphics within tables is possible > > * minitoc is a nice feature And so are things such as the list of figures etc. > > * great at placement of figures etc. no orphans. > > * figure placement are superior and true to typesetting I think that in the context of a departmental tool, you can talk about the inclusion of a track change feature in lyx through patches now and with 1.4 included. In that context I would also tend to use a lot in the way of "Insert > Note" as they can help interdepartmental collabarative generation of documents. > > > cons: > ===== > > * lyx/word exchange is horrible > > * the word position in the printed doc is not the same as on the screen > > * a longer learning curve once you need to move beyond the basics Would suggest that people use lyx but you have departmental latex expert and when people have a problem they export the latex file to the expert who handles the problem in latex and then sends them a lyx file back telling them how the problem can be avoided in the future. > * you will hit very quickly the ceiling of lyx and have your documents full of ERT Not sure that is entirely true especially if your departmental layout file fits 80% of your needs. > > * latex is hard to debug. error messages are usually quite meaningless Thats certainly not true of latex where messages are actually quite specific but it is true of lyx for the non latex user. > > * lyx on windows is still a bit of a challenge Again, an enthusiastic graduate student could become the resident expert on installing it for the department and its not a problem once it has been installed. This is less of a problem on xp I understand as opposed to win9x > > * not very many people uses lyx. you need to bring your own laptop with lyx always. You could always double boot your machine with linux and then you have a sensible os with you wherever you are. Indeed recent experience with crossover and wine is actually very good so people could just load up the applications into linux. I found the recent version of mepis actually provides you a windows file structure so a windows user can feel at home. I dont think we should push this point but it may be worth demonstrating quickly to them how easy this can be. > > did i miss anything important in the above? > > is it not a strong argument that the entire body of litterature within the sciences is typeset with latex? (is this true?) Not true IMO. Bill stilll gate-crashes a significant part of this world of otherwise intelligent people YOu may want ot include the point you mentioned in todays post that collaborating on a paper with a windows user can be a pain though not as much as you have indicated. I would tend to produce an html output and then load that into a word document and ask the collaborator to choose track change. Then it is easy to manuallly paste the corrections into your original lyx document. > > > > > now for the layout of the slideshow (first the thinking/brainstorming part - your help is ugently needed!). > > i will suggest something around 20 slides and if possible examplify all of the above pros. and of couse, one > should also mention the cons ... > > > 1 cover slide > > 1 slide with introduction > > 1 slide with tex/latex/lyx history and use > > some slides giving a graphical tour just like on lyx.org > > a couple of slides showing how to insert citation references (this really seem to win peoples hearts) > > a couple of slides on how to install lyx > > 1 final slide with pros and cons > > > > suggestions to the composition of this slideshow is welcome - and if anyone have ideas to any particular slide, dont hesitate. > I would tend to have one slide explaining how lyx handles document generation as a system. In other words, one starts with expounding what you would ideally like your document to be i.e. desiderata, and then you show how using lyx in a systematic way helps you to achieve that. I think one has to explain the roles of latex and lyx as computer programs that do the work that is uninteresting and boring and they do it reliably to publishing standards. This may best be done by showing the development of an actual document although a small one . One of the things I would tend to include is the use of an appropriate bibtex tool like tkbibtex which can be used during the litsearch so that you can at that same time, write to the notes section - in your own words avoiding plagiarism - the sort of input you may want to insert in your text when you have just read up your reference. When one starts writing one can create the section / subsection structure in there and one of the first things one can do is to put in these citations. One can then cut and paste the notes to form the first element of the bone structure of your document. It then becomes a lot easier to fill in the remaining text as one goes along. In terms of representing all this I would tend to first demonstrate the creation of a simple document showing the features the department considers important. After that I would tend to take an actual paper written in lyx and show the more esoteric features and how easily they can be handled. For instance in a long document I find the navigate table of contents very useful as it shows you the structure of your document and allows you to easily go into a part that you want to have another look at. Towards the end, one could put in some of the fancy stuff that lyx can do with the appropriate sty files. Things like picinpar bring an interesting element to close with. As I see it, you would need to have a small presentation and a two part demonstration. Anyway thats my two cents. It was a good idea to bring this up. This sort of presentation would be really useful to a lot of people. best regards samar
