Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!travis!tom From: tom@ssd.csd.harris.com (Tom Horsley) Newsgroups: comp.text.tex Subject: Re: TeX - The Language (Was Re: Why use TeX if ...) Message-ID: Date: 14 May 91 17:27:02 GMT References: <1991May10.065219.23433@agate.berkeley.edu> <1991May10.211802.4344@csrd.uiuc.edu> <1991May11.013248.16286@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <1991May13.204709.20365@beaver.cs.washington.edu> Sender: news@travis.csd.harris.com Organization: Harris Computer Systems Division Lines: 24 In-reply-to: pauld@stowe.cs.washington.edu's message of 13 May 91 20:47:09 GMT My favorite example of the ability of TeX guru's to fool themselves into believing TeX is easy to use comes from the intro to "The Joy of TeX" (I am almost certain that is the book, but I know it is one of the well known TeX based books). In it, the author describes how the book started as a project to attend a two week seminar, than then spend a few weeks putting the notes in order and coming out with a small booklet on TeX. Five *years* later, the book was finally finished, then it goes on to explain how easy it is to use TeX. I love it! It took the author 5 years, but now he thinks its easy :-). P.S. In case you can't tell, I also wish TeX was based on a much more general purpose programming language instead of the almost-language it implements now. Writing (or worse yet, reading) TeX macros is by far the most challenging programming task I have ever faced. I am not sure that I will ever overcome all the obstacles... -- ====================================================================== domain: tahorsley@csd.harris.com USMail: Tom Horsley uucp: ...!uunet!hcx1!tahorsley 511 Kingbird Circle Delray Beach, FL 33444 +==== Censorship is the only form of Obscenity ======================+ | (Wait, I forgot government tobacco subsidies...) | +====================================================================+