----- Original Message -----
From: "Rich Shepard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Kevin Pfeiffer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <lyx-users@lists.lyx.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: copying and pasting a LyX environment? (like Word's Format
Painter)
I have a real peeve about those who want linux software (or any F/OSS
software) to work the way _anything_ from Redmond works. When Microsoft
stuff
works, that is. Most of the DOS and Winduhs software sold by Microsoft is
of
very poor quality. Just because most of the computer using world is used
to
that way does not mean we should emulate it. Read Nick Petreley's
end-of-issue column "Skin Cream Not Scum" in the latest Linux Journal.
Unfortunately, it does not appear to be on-line.
Let's do it better.
Rich
I'm especially against emulating some practice that breaks the
functionality of LyX and its helpers and then relies on MS
jargon to justify lots of work to descend to the emulation. So
I have no problem with emulating "File" because that benefits
all computer users with a reasonable standard and doesn't
require extra learning. Some of these Linux programs take a
lot of work to install with dependencies and dependencies of
dependencies and then incompatible gcc version changes and
library versionchanges and so on. The central authority of MS
has advantages for the user except that MS tries to extend this
influence into monopolistic profiteering practices. I resent
describing these greedy tactics as "basic windows guidelines".
Otherwise fairly competent thinkers seem overcome by the
mind-ray that Petreley talks about below:
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/01/06/18/010618oppetreley.html
"One of my favorite scenes in the movie Ghostbusters II takes place during
the taping of a TV show, "World of the Psychic, with Dr. Peter Venkman."
During the show, a guest named Elaine reveals how she found out the date for
the end of the world, "As I told my husband: It was in the Paramus Holiday
Inn. I was having a drink at the bar, alone, and this alien approached me.
He started talking to me, he bought me a drink, and then I think he must
have used some kind of a ray or a mind-control device because he forced me
to follow him to his room; and that's where he told me about the end of the
world." Bill Murray replies incredulously, "So your alien had a room at the
Holiday Inn in Paramus?"
As humorous as that may appear, I have come to the conclusion that one of
two things must be true: Either Microsoft has a mind-control device similar
to the one mentioned above, or some members of the mainstream media are as
gullible as Elaine. I can think of no other explanation why people are
reacting so differently to Microsoft's .NET than they did to IBM, Oracle,
and Sun's promotion of NC (network computing) a few years back."
Regards,
Stephen
