In a message dated 2008.05.21 17:30 -0500, James Knott wrote:
Isn't making Columns an element of Page format a deficiency? How would one then set up, say, a 2-column block at the top of the page and then later a 3-column block?
Well, if you're doing something newspaper style, you'd normally have it the same for all pages, however, if you want to have different columns, just create a table for each section.
In my earlier post, I almost mentioned "I know one could use tables, but of course tables are not columns." Then I thought, strike that - no one would suggest it, anyway ;-) because of the obvious functional differences: At best, a table can function as block-parallel columns.
No, I meant, simply, columns. Why are they more intrinsically a matter of Page format than, say, tables (any other data-organizing mechanism, for that matter)? For a long time (20 years or so?) WordPerfect has given me equal freedom for putting a block of columns or a table wherever I want. So maybe I'm spoiled, but both are freedoms I have used. Two decades later, should the latest and greatest office software do less?
One of the reasons I have continued to use WordPerfect, despite having to buy and use MS Office for work purposes, is a question of design philosophy: WordPerfect [respecting the user's intelligence]: Here are all the tools and primitives, without artificial constraints. Have it your way: automate as needed, or work at the lowest level. Word [don't worry your little head about this]: We have figured out all of the proper ways to do things; of course you will want to do it our way.
I'd hate to think that OO tends more toward the latter philosophy. It might put me off altogether. To say, "Well ... you'd normally have it the same for all pages... [and therefore the OO constraint is OK]" is, frankly, arbitrary and artificial. Who is to say what is "normal"? If one can imagine a perfectly useful layout with multiple different column blocks on one page (let alone "all pages"), why should a word processor say, "You're not allowed to do that"?
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