Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!ptimtc!nntp-server.caltech.edu!marcel
From: marcel@cs.caltech.edu (Marcel van der Goot)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: TeX Headings
Summary: typesetting is just convention
Message-ID: <1991Jun5.002745.15373@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 5 Jun 91 00:27:45 GMT
References: <1991Jun4.182659.6683@serval.net.wsu.edu> <1991Jun4.224246.229@csrd.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@nntp-server.caltech.edu
Organization: California Institute of Technology (CS dept)
Lines: 38

Rakesh Dubey (rdubey@yoda.eecs.wsu.edu) wrote
> I often hear it that LaTeX/TeX makes headings (such as chapter, 
> section etc.) that are way too big and the spaces that it leaves
> around them is also more than necessary.
 [...]
> The powers that be feel that headings should be
> smaller. Would some kindly net-folk please suggest some nice 
> convincing arguments in my favor. I realize that it may not be too 
> difficult to find some quick fix for this but I don't want to do that.

Apparently you believe that the LaTeX style is the right style, but you
cannot think of arguments why? Maybe that is because there are no such
arguments. Typesetting depends mostly on convention and hardware
capabilities. Hardware changes over time (printing is one of the oldest
automized crafts), and conventions vary with both time and geography.
Among some publishers big headings may be more popular than among others.
I've heard the ``LaTeX's headings are too big'' complaint mostly from
non-anglo-saxon users of TeX. I don't see why you would object against
changing the header style to comply with your local conventions. Certainly
small headings is not something related to bad word-processing software;
many professional printers use the style.

Victor Eijkhout (eijkhout@s41.csrd.uiuc.edu) answered
> But the problem is that the LaTeX styles were probably not written
> by a typographer. I suspect LL of having made them on his own.

Two or three years ago I attended a seminar by Lamport, and he claimed
then that the standard LaTeX styles were designed by a designer from
Addison-Wesley (who knew better than we did ...).


                                          Marcel van der Goot
 .----------------------------------------------------------------
 | Blauw de viooltjes,                    marcel@vlsi.cs.caltech.edu
 |    Rood zijn de rozen;
 | Een rijm kan gezet
 |    Met plaksel en dozen.
 |