[NTG-context] Can I compare with someone?

2003-12-11 Thread David Arnold
All,

I've recently installed tetex 2.0.2. I am having difficulty with Metapost
and I am wondering if I have a good installation. If someone else out there
is running tetex 2.0.2, could you try the following on your system and tell
me if you get similar results. Also, if I'm making some sort of silly
mistake, please let me know.

I have a little file named junk.mp.

beginfig(1);
path p;
p:=fullcircle scaled 100pt;
draw p;
endfig;
end.

It compiles much as I expect.

[EMAIL PROTECTED] darnold]$ mpost junk
This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.4.5)
(junk.mp [1] )
1 output file written: junk.1
Transcript written on junk.log.

No problems. Now I add a line to junk.mp.

beginfig(1);
path p;
p:=fullcircle scaled 100pt;
draw p;
label(btex $x$ etex, center p);
endfig;
end.

Now, when I compile, texexec seems to be invoked. Is this what happens on
your systems? Is this correct behavior?

[EMAIL PROTECTED] darnold]$ mpost junk
This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.4.5)
(junk.mp
 TeXExec 4.0 - ConTeXt / PRAGMA ADE 1997-2003

   metapost to tex : junk
executable : pdfetex
format : cont-en
 inputfile : tmpgraph
output : dvips
 interface : en
   options : once nomp
  current mode : none

This is pdfeTeX, Version 3.14159-1.10b-2.1 (Web2C 7.4.5)
 \write18 enabled.
entering extended mode
(./tmpgraph.tex{/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/pdftex/config/pdftex.cfg}

ConTeXt  ver: 2003.9.25  fmt: 2003.12.10  int: english  mes: english

language   : language en is active
protectionstate 0
system : cont-new loaded
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/tex/context/base/cont-new.tex
systems: beware: some patches loaded from cont-new.tex!
)
system : cont-old loaded
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/tex/context/base/cont-old.tex
loading: Context Old Macros
)
system : cont-fil loaded
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/tex/context/base/cont-fil.tex
loading: Context File Synonyms
)
bodyfont   : 12pt rm is loaded
language   : patterns 2:2-en-2 3:2-uk-2 4:2-de-2 5:2-fr-2 6:2-es-2
7:2-it-2
 8:2-nl-2 loaded
specials   : tex,postscript,rokicki loaded
system : tmpgraph.top loaded
(./tmpgraph.top
specials   : loading definition file dvi
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/tex/context/base/spec-dvi.tex unprotect 3
protect 3)
specials   : tex loaded
specials   : loading definition file ps
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/tex/context/base/spec-ps.tex)
specials   : tex,postscript loaded
specials   : loading definition file tr
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/tex/context/base/spec-tr.tex)
specials   : tex,postscript,rokicki loaded
)
pdftex : needs map file: original-context-symbol.map
pdftex : needs map file: pl0-ams-cmr.map
pdftex : needs map file: original-vogel-symbol.map
[1.1]
systems: end file tmpgraph at line 3
 )
Output written on tmpgraph.dvi (1 page, 192 bytes).
Transcript written on tmpgraph.log.

   return code : 0
  run time : 0 seconds
   dvi to metapost : junk
  metapost : junk
format : metafun
This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.4.5)
(junk.mp [1]
metafun 2003-12-10 14:21
 )
1 output file written: junk.1
Transcript written on junk.log.

total run time : 0 seconds
 [1] )
1 output file written: junk.1
Transcript written on junk.log.

I now add another line to junk.mp. This is an attempt to get 10pt font size.

beginfig(1);
defaultscale:=10pt/fontsize defaultfont;
path p;
p:=fullcircle scaled 100pt;
draw p;
label(btex $x$ etex, center p);
endfig;
end.

But when I compile, I still get 12pt. And the culprit seems to be:

bodyfont   : 12pt rm is loaded

I tried the following workaround by editing junk.mp. But,

mpost junk

produces this error message:

! Undefined control sequence.
l.1 \documentclass
  [10pt]{article}

So, I try:

mpost --tex=latex junk

But now my system tries to build cont-en.fmt. Toward the end, one message I
get is:

Sorry, I can't find the format `cont-en.fmt'; will try `context.fmt'.

But this doesn't make sense, as cont-en.efmt is already built.

[EMAIL PROTECTED] darnold]$ ll /usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/*.efmt
-rw-r--r--1 root root  4713749 Dec 10 14:22
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/cont-en.efmt
-rw-r--r--1 root root  4760442 Dec  9 07:38
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/cont-nl.efmt
-rw-r--r--1 root root   756368 Dec 10 14:21
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/elatex.efmt
-rw-r--r--1 root root   278813 Dec 10 14:21
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/etex.efmt
-rw-r--r--1 root root   226652 Dec 10 14:22
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/mptopdf.efmt
-rw-r--r--1 root root   765252 Dec 10 14:21
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/pdfelatex.efmt
-rw-r--r--1 root root   288178 Dec 10 14:21
/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/pdfetex.efmt


I am at a 

Re: [NTG-context] Can I compare with someone?

2003-12-11 Thread Lutz Haseloff
Hi David,

David Arnold schrieb:
All,

I've recently installed tetex 2.0.2. I am having difficulty with Metapost
and I am wondering if I have a good installation. If someone else out there
is running tetex 2.0.2, could you try the following on your system and tell
me if you get similar results. Also, if I'm making some sort of silly
mistake, please let me know.
I have a little file named junk.mp.

beginfig(1);
path p;
p:=fullcircle scaled 100pt;
draw p;
endfig;
end.
It compiles much as I expect.

[EMAIL PROTECTED] darnold]$ mpost junk
This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.4.5)
(junk.mp [1] )
1 output file written: junk.1
Transcript written on junk.log.
No problems. Now I add a line to junk.mp.

beginfig(1);
path p;
p:=fullcircle scaled 100pt;
draw p;
label(btex $x$ etex, center p);
endfig;
end.
Now, when I compile, texexec seems to be invoked. Is this what happens on
your systems? Is this correct behavior?
yes

[EMAIL PROTECTED] darnold]$ mpost junk
This is MetaPost, Version 0.641 (Web2C 7.4.5)

I now add another line to junk.mp. This is an attempt to get 10pt font size.

beginfig(1);
defaultscale:=10pt/fontsize defaultfont;
defaultfont/defaultscale only affect labels set by metapost
i.e. label(text,(0,0));
for the labels typeset by tex (btex ... etex) you can add to your
mp-file:
verbatimtex
\setupbodyfont[10pt]
etex;

path p;
p:=fullcircle scaled 100pt;
draw p;
label(btex $x$ etex, center p);
endfig;
end.


I am at a loss at how to proceed. Is this a bug?


Greetings Lutz

___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re: [NTG-context] Re: Typesetting music in ConTeXt

2003-12-11 Thread Maurice Diamantini
Le 10 dc. 03,  23:05, Henning Hraban Ramm a crit :


Am Mittwoch, 10.12.03, um 19:55 Uhr (Europe/Zurich) schrieb Willi 
Egger:

: 3 - some package or binding to Lilypond (for writing music/midi 
and
: xml)
That would be very-very nice. By the way, are there any plans to
implement this feature (Lilypond binding) or, may be, some other 
ways to typeset
music in ConTeXt?
if i'd time i'd write a metapost based engine 
with regards to lilypond, it depends on how latex dependent things 
are
Lilypond makes use of LaTeX only. Secondly be aware, that the 
software runs under Linux and under Cygwin.
Hm, perhaps it would be possible to use some MusicTeX version? AFAIK 
that's based on PlainTeX and could be compatible
I think there VERY much more work about lilypond that about Musi*TeX.
Also Lilipond has a modern approch and has a very good (*TeX) 
documentation.

From http://lilypond.org/web/about/faq.html

	Will run on my computer?

	LilyPond is written for Unix, so it should run on any modern Unix 
variant,
including Linux/GNU and MacOS X. There is also a MS Windows port, 
which uses
the Cygwin environment.

About other format:
We have the following requirements:
	 	the format must use ASCII,
	 	it must be concise enough to type by hand,
	 	it must have a concise formal specification,
	 	it must be expressive enough to support many types of notation 
and
printed formats.
We believe that none of the existing formats address all these 
requirements.
For example, MusicXML cannot be typed by hand, DARMS is limited in 
its
application, ABC has no strict formal definition, and NIFF is 
binary.
Nevertheless, this does not restrict you for using those formats: 
there are
filters that convert from various formats to .ly

   Also there is some converter from lilypond to xml

So instead of Hans restarting a new Music Notation project, Hans should
make lilypond team using Context instead of LaTeX ;-)
Also I noted that :
- Lilypond is NOT a TeX macro, it only seems to be a
  dedicated (powerfull) subset of TeX (but allow input of TeX macro)
- Lilypond make use of TeX for page breaking and other stuff
So How to use Lilypond with ConTeXt?
1 - use Lilypond as an independant tool for building short
(less or equal to one page) as pdf figure and
include them in context as external figure
(that is the way I'll do, because I'm not clever
enought to do much more :-)
2 - make Lilypond team understand how ConTeXt is much
more interesting as automatic formatic tool for
creating pdf than LaTeX is!
3 - Allow using lilypond inside ConTeXt with
  \startmusic
  \stopmusic
I think this method would be much like typesetting
chimical
Hans has not to be developping a nex package, just
using one that already exist
Also I think Lilipond could interest much more people
that the only short xTeX poeple user.
But Lilipond in not as easy to install (to many LaTeX
dependancy).
So the Lilypond tead could be interested by the new future
alternative ConTeXt-live CDROM distribution ;-)
ConTeXt-live (alias LaTeX-3: the only nothing to install
TeX based type system that allow to do :
- Mathematical,
- graphical (Metapost),
- Chimical,
- Musical
hight quality pdf documentation or web based presentation!!!


P.S.
I don't (yet) use  Lilypond, but I looked after some text based
Music notation for my wife.
I thought first to MusixTex (too eavy, too old) then the abc format
(which could be import as ps/pdf figure), then I found that
lilypond was closely related to TeX.
So it's probably the choice I'll do.
-- Maurice Diamantini

___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re: [NTG-context] \setuphead question (long section lines not wrapping)

2003-12-11 Thread Hans Hagen
At 22:58 10/12/2003, you wrote:
On Wed, 10 Dec 2003, Hans Hagen wrote:

 hm, must be some kind of complex thing then, what is \thanks supposed 
to do?

No, it's not complex at all, and the answer ended up being trivial.  The
\thanks command is essentially a footnote to be used in the title portion
of an article (or book, etc.) -- the big problem I was having was that the
footnote mark was appearing fine, but the footnote text was nowhere to be
found -- this was solved once I found the essentially hiden \footnotetext
command and used that to place the text where I wanted it.  After that, I
needed to figure out how to reset the footnote counter (which was a pretty
minor problem to solve).
\startstandardmakeup
  \startlocalfootnotes
  Thanks \footnote{test}
  \stoplocalfootnotes
  \vfill \placelocalfootnotes
\stopstandardmakeup
That's not doing what I need.  What I need is for the section headings in
the text of the article to look like {section number}.  {section title} --
I was able to insert the . between the number and the title easily
enough, but my solution turned off line wrapping for the title.  I've
attached an example that shows both what I am trying to do, and how my
solution fails (on page 2 of the accompanying dvi).
\setuplabeltext[en][section={{},{.}},subsection={{},{.}}]

should do that; i don't know why it does not break in your case

Hans  

___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re: [NTG-context] Update failure: I'm losing my mind

2003-12-11 Thread Giuseppe Bilotta
Thursday, December 11, 2003 Gary Pajer wrote:

 MiKTeX.

 I've done this half a dozen times. This time it doesn't work.  I feel
 stupid.  What have I forgotten?

 Things were working perfectly.  I decide to update, so I download
 cont-tmf.zip to \localtexmf.  Then I unzip, overwritting all the old files.
 Then I update the database either using mktexlsr or the MiKTeX options
 wizard.

 But now texexec can't find texexec.ini.  But it's there, in
 \localtexmf\context\config  (as well as \texmf\context\config)

 BTW,  if I execute kpsewhich texexec.ini  it returns without an error, but
 also with no information.  Is that right?

Yes, and that's the problem. Recent ConTeXts are too strongly
tied to fpTeX :\

One thing you can do: move your texexec.ini in the same folder
as texexec.pl

-- 
Giuseppe Oblomov Bilotta


___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


[NTG-context] Re: Converting Latex style files for use in Context

2003-12-11 Thread Patrick Gundlach

Hi Adam,

 I have an ebnf grammar which I need to put in a context doc and have a
 specific style file (ebnf.sty).  Is there an easy way to convert it
 for use in context.

How should we know? I don't have ebnf.sty on my system so this is
probably not a well known package. If you provide some more
information (where the sty can be found, how an input looks like or
so) we might be able to help better.

Patrick
-- 
mon trainsistor j'adore
___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re: [NTG-context] Re: Converting Latex style files for use in Context

2003-12-11 Thread Zunbeltz Izaola


On Thu, 11 Dec 2003, Patrick Gundlach wrote:


 Hi Adam,

  I have an ebnf grammar which I need to put in a context doc and have a
  specific style file (ebnf.sty).  Is there an easy way to convert it
  for use in context.

 How should we know? I don't have ebnf.sty on my system so this is
 probably not a well known package. If you provide some more
 information (where the sty can be found, how an input looks like or
 so) we might be able to help better.


Like all TeX related things you can find it in CTAN, exactly in

http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex209/contrib/misc/ebnf.sty

The file is old (1991) so i don't know if it would run with latex2e.
The code is very sort, mainly it redefineas a description enviromment.
I Think it wouldn't be very dificult define a new definition enviroment
for ENNF

Zunbeltz


A Patrick
 --
 mon trainsistor j'adore
 ___
 ntg-context mailing list
 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re: [NTG-context] Update failure: I'm losing my mind

2003-12-11 Thread Gary Pajer


 Thursday, December 11, 2003 Gary Pajer wrote:

  MiKTeX.

  I've done this half a dozen times. This time it doesn't work.  I feel
  stupid.  What have I forgotten?

  Things were working perfectly.  I decide to update, so I download
  cont-tmf.zip to \localtexmf.  Then I unzip, overwritting all the old
files.
  Then I update the database either using mktexlsr or the MiKTeX options
  wizard.

  But now texexec can't find texexec.ini.  But it's there, in
  \localtexmf\context\config  (as well as \texmf\context\config)

  BTW,  if I execute kpsewhich texexec.ini  it returns without an error,
but
  also with no information.  Is that right?

 Yes, and that's the problem. Recent ConTeXts are too strongly
 tied to fpTeX :\

 One thing you can do: move your texexec.ini in the same folder
 as texexec.pl

Thanks, but that didn't work.  I still have a nagging feeling that I'm
forgetting something simple.
MiKTeX comes with a texexec.exe.  Putting texexec.ini in the same directory
doesn't do it either.
Is there an environment variable that I can set to help texexec find its
way?
Or a command line switch?  (I have not found mention of either in the docs)
(Putting texexec.ini in the directory containing the ConTeXt .tex script
works.)

-gary

___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re[2]: [NTG-context] Update failure: I'm losing my mind

2003-12-11 Thread Giuseppe Bilotta
Thursday, December 11, 2003 Gary Pajer wrote:

 Thanks, but that didn't work.  I still have a nagging feeling that I'm
 forgetting something simple.
 MiKTeX comes with a texexec.exe.  Putting texexec.ini in the same directory
 doesn't do it either.

First of all, don't use the ConTeXt package that comes with
MikTeX. Simply don't. Remove it, if you have it uninstalled.
You should only use the distributed cont-tmf.zip of PRAGMA, and
use the Perl script texexec.pl in /localtexmf/context/perltk;
and texexec.ini should stay there (and make sure you're running
*that* texexec.pl)

-- 
Giuseppe Oblomov Bilotta




___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


[NTG-context] Active points on a ground plan (CD-ROM catalogue)

2003-12-11 Thread Steffen Wolfrum
Hi,

I'd like to make the CD-ROM catalogue (PDF) of an architectural exhibition in ConTeXt.


In short the general idea is:

- First you have a page with a map showing the locations of the different buildings.
- Then you should point on location you are interested in and jump to the page where 
this particular building is described in detail.
- Then again you should be able to jump back to the point (centered?) on the map where 
you have started.


My main question now is:

Is it possible in ConTeXt to locate/define on the map (one image) certain points/areas 
that will contain the links to respective the detail page?


Thank you,

Steffen
___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re: [NTG-context] Active points on a ground plan (CD-ROM catalogue)

2003-12-11 Thread Hans Hagen
At 16:33 11/12/2003, you wrote:
Hi,

I'd like to make the CD-ROM catalogue (PDF) of an architectural exhibition 
in ConTeXt.

In short the general idea is:

- First you have a page with a map showing the locations of the different 
buildings.
- Then you should point on location you are interested in and jump to the 
page where this particular building is described in detail.
- Then again you should be able to jump back to the point (centered?) on 
the map where you have started.

My main question now is:

Is it possible in ConTeXt to locate/define on the map (one image) certain 
points/areas that will contain the links to respective the detail page?
Ha, when i tried to locate that old code, i ran into a bug (\dosingleempty 
is less tolerant than 5 years ago), so first a patch:

\unprotect

\def\dodostartfigure[#1][#2][#3]#4\stopfigure
  {\doifelse\v!test\@@exoptie
 {\teststartfigure[#1][#2][#3]#4\teststopfigure
  \let\@@exhokjes\v!aan}
 {\let\@@exhokjes\v!uit}%
   \setvalue{\??ef\??ef#1}%
 {\def\next{\placestartfigure[#1][#2][#3]#4\placestopfigure}%
  \dosingleempty\next}%
   \doifundefined{#1}{\setvalue{#1}{\getexternalfigure{#1
\protect

Now you can do things like:

\setupinteraction
  [state=start]
% \setupexternalfigures
%   [option=test]
\startfigure[TheProces][work016a][factor=200]
  \referring (10.7,9.4)  (4.3,2.3) [r:psfile]
  \referring (16.5,16.5) (4.3,2.3) [r:pdffile]
  \marking   (10.7,9.4)  (4.3,2.3) [m:psfile]
  \marking   (16.5,16.5) (4.3,2.3) [m:pdffile]
\stopfigure
\starttext

\title{Files}

\placefigure
  {Whatever files we use.}
  {\TheProces}
\title[r:psfile]{PostScrip Files}

We're talking about PostScript files, see \in[m:psfile]!

\title[r:pdffile]{PDF Files}

We're talking about PDF files, see \in[m:pdffile]!

\stoptext

Uncommenting the test will provide you a suitable test bed.

(Sorry for the bit oldfashioned code; it originates from the pre pdf time)

Hans  

___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


[NTG-context] placefigure for Christmas

2003-12-11 Thread Steffen Wolfrum
Hi Hans,

as it comes close to Christmas I'd like to tell you my biggest wish: 

placefigure[top,left], placefigure[bottom,right] (see below)

Isn't there something that you could cook up for this special occasion?


Steffen



Hans Hagen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 At 14:25 17/09/2003 +0200, you wrote:
 
   What is needed is a kind of extension to placefigure[top] where figures 
 are *still* placed top/bottom but *also* are surrounded by text (right or 
 left).
 
 this is kind of impossible in tex since it works per paragraph and during 
 that it has no concept of crossing a page boundary; i presume that i can 
 cook up something for a controlled situation but it's far from trivial
 
 Hans
___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


[NTG-context] Re: ConTeXt Switcher?

2003-12-11 Thread Christopher G. D. Tipper
 Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 01:27:34 +0100
 From: Giuseppe Bilotta [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Subject: Re[2]: [NTG-context] ConTeXt Switcher?
 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 Not that I see the purpose of using Word in the frist place.
 Any decent editor has enough macro power to do the same.

 -- 
 Giuseppe Oblomov Bilotta

You missed the point. You markup and style your document using Word
styles, and then XML is a matter of search and replace. I am not interested
in Word per se, but I find using emacs to insert markup during document
creation gets in the way of my thought processes. This way I can push markup
worries to the editorial stage.

People are fond of pointing out Words vices, and I wouldn't quibble with
arguments about its stability, but it is about time OpenOffice and its ilk
stopped resting on their laurels and started implementing some macro
capability. I notice that AbiWord has a DocBook output format, but how well
integrated this is I don't know.

On Micro$oft's part if they had some real competition a real market in
third-party templates might arrive. As it stands I have a 50% solution that
handles footnotes and lists, but re-distribution is hampered by the way Word
handles its templates and virus worries. Theoretically I could do tables and
limited image markup using the same techniques. Leveraging the visual layout
tools of a word-processor makes so much sense I wonder at the mentality of
people still struggling with text-editors. I have emacs set up on my
machine, but it really looks like back to the future from my point of view.
I use WinEdt when I'm booted into Windows.

btw you can use the same technique to generate native Context markup. It
needs hand-editting, but as a rough draft, this works fine for me, and I
don't have to re-invent the wheel every time I have a new document.

Christopher


___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context


Re: [NTG-context] Re: ConTeXt Switcher?

2003-12-11 Thread Bob Kerstetter
Hi Christopher,

On Dec 11, 2003, at 11:16 AM, Christopher G. D. Tipper wrote:

Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 01:27:34 +0100
From: Giuseppe Bilotta [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re[2]: [NTG-context] ConTeXt Switcher?
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Not that I see the purpose of using Word in the frist place.
Any decent editor has enough macro power to do the same.
--
Giuseppe Oblomov Bilotta
You missed the point. You markup and style your document using Word
styles, and then XML is a matter of search and replace. I am not 
interested
in Word per se, but I find using emacs to insert markup during document
creation gets in the way of my thought processes. This way I can push 
markup
worries to the editorial stage.

People are fond of pointing out Words vices, and I wouldn't quibble 
with
arguments about its stability, but it is about time OpenOffice and its 
ilk
stopped resting on their laurels and started implementing some macro
capability. I notice that AbiWord has a DocBook output format, but how 
well
integrated this is I don't know.

On Micro$oft's part if they had some real competition a real market in
third-party templates might arrive. As it stands I have a 50% solution 
that
handles footnotes and lists, but re-distribution is hampered by the 
way Word
handles its templates and virus worries. Theoretically I could do 
tables and
limited image markup using the same techniques. Leveraging the visual 
layout
tools of a word-processor makes so much sense I wonder at the 
mentality of
people still struggling with text-editors. I have emacs set up on my
machine, but it really looks like back to the future from my point of 
view.
I use WinEdt when I'm booted into Windows.

btw you can use the same technique to generate native Context markup. 
It
needs hand-editting, but as a rough draft, this works fine for me, and 
I
don't have to re-invent the wheel every time I have a new document.

You're point is well taken. I once wrote a complete Windows Help system 
generator using Word Basic macros and nothing else. If fed correctly 
structured documents, the macros would mark up all topics for display, 
page browsing, cross references, context sensitivity and indexes. It 
would then call the compiler. It took about 40 minutes to markup and 
compile a help system equivalent to 400 pages of text, graphics and 
all, on 1993-era Windows machines. The macros could also clean the 
files and start over if major changes were needed in the text. It was a 
freebie and efficient alternative to RoboHelp.

I have just lost too much work to Word-corrupt files and Word-crashed 
systems to continue with MS. TeXShop (Mac OS X) has never crashed or 
hung in 15 months of use. The files have never become corrupt. I am 
looking at Nisus, or perhaps the OS X native TextEdit, as visual 
editors for the reasons you applaud Word. They both write rtf natively. 
I'm also looking at TeX4ht with ConTeXt. For now, TeXShop, LaTeX and 
TeX4ht are more flexible and stable than Word. We'll see. :)

Take care.

BK



___
ntg-context mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context