Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!spool.mu.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!emory!gatech!prism!ne201ph From: ne201ph@prism.gatech.EDU (Halvorson,Peter J) Newsgroups: comp.text.tex Subject: Re: Comparing word processors with TeX Message-ID: <22779@hydra.gatech.EDU> Date: 25 Feb 91 20:16:28 GMT References: <18200@gremlin.nrtc.northrop.com> Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology Lines: 33 I'll add my 2 cents. I haven't seen any other word processors that do automatic numbering. Many of my documents have numbered equations, figures, tables, sections, page references, equation references, and bibliography references. I like BiBTeX, a system for accessing a bibliography database. No more rewriting the bibliography for each paper. I also use LaTeX for letters and memos. I've made a blank letter with all the formatting the way I like it, and just have to fill in the text and recipient's address. No other program even comes close for equation formatting. I don't like `hidden codes' which control the text. If you find you want to change something it's always painful. LaTeX has many of the advantages of object oriented programming, if that's something the boss appreciates. There are two bad points to LaTeX ( at least). A new user often feels that LaTeX will not let him write the way he wants. Experienced users learn how to make LaTeX behave. Also, I've found that quite often if LaTeX doesn't want to do it your way, it may be that your way isn't as good as the LaTeX method. LaTeX is also lacking in the spell checker/thesaurus department. -- Peter Halvorson -- Nuclear Engineering Program Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 uucp: ...!{allegra,amd,hplabs,ut-ngp}!gatech!prism!ne201ph Internet: ne201ph@prism.gatech.edu -- peter@fission.gatech.edu