Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!asuvax!noao!arizona!naucse!jdc
From: jdc@naucse.UUCP (John Campbell)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Meta-literacy (was Re: a word-processor for UNIX)
Message-ID: <1627@naucse.UUCP>
Date: 3 Aug 89 15:15:58 GMT
References: <2147@randvax.UUCP>
Organization: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
Lines: 31

From article <2147@randvax.UUCP>, by urban@randvax.UUCP (Mike Urban):
> 
> At the risk of belaboring a point that has been made several times,
> it would be more useful to work with an experienced professional
> in layout design in order to create the Troff macros or LaTeX document
> style for your Generic Barbarian novel or whatever.  When everyone
> becomes an amateur layout designer, the result is inevitably a 
> great deal of amateurish layout.
> -- 
> 
> 	Mike Urban
> 	urban@rand.ORG

With apology to Leslie Lamport, let's go back about 3000 years.  In that
era wouldn't the paragraph above have said:

"It is more useful to work with an experienced scribe in forming your 
letters in order to create a shipping list, business report, or whatever.
When everyone becomes an amateur literate, the result is inevitably a
great deal of amateurish literature."

I guess I'm thinking of examples from Hofstadter where fonts (even layout) 
change to enhance meta information in text.  Original handwritten notes had 
this capacity--why not computer text?  If amateur literature (letters, email, 
etc.) has proven useful, couldn't a case be made for amateur layout.
Perhaps 3000 years from now it will be common to "write" with expression; 
maybe we'll have to learn meta-literacy.
-- 
	John Campbell               ...!arizona!naucse!jdc
                                    CAMPBELL@NAUVAX.bitnet
	unix?  Sure send me a dozen, all different colors.