Moving to non-Word formats [long]

[Doug]

On 6/16/2020 6:33 AM, Peter Flynn wrote:
> On 16/06/2020 00:02, Liam Proven wrote:
> [...]
>> A dual-pane outliner draws a tree, like a directory tree, in the
>> left pane. The end of each branch is a document.
>
> This is what LaTeX GUI editors do. It's a useful navigation tool (click
> to jump) but not much use beyond that.
>
>> A single-pane outliner is a totally different beast. It's a mode of
>> text-editing which gives a text file (a one-dimensional document:
>> beginning to end) a _structure_. It's not 2D like a spreadsheet grid
>> but it's sort of 1.5D.
>
> This is what Emacs sgml-fold-element does. Each folded
> element/subelement becomes a stub, like your multi-level bulleted list,
> indented according to markup depth, and you can move them around.
>
>> Now, imagine that this list editor lets you move entries under other
>> entries, or promote sub-entries up, and merge and split entries.
>
> Yep, exactly that.
>
>> It's a _far_ more flexible way of editing long documents than any
>> flat, 1D editor.
>
> If you have lots of stuff to move around the place it's invaluable.
> Less useful if all you have to do is rephrase someone else's text :-(
>
>> Also, bear in mind, everything has styles automatically applied, [...]
>
> If you are using Word without style names, for any non-trivial or
> non-ephemeral document, you probably shouldn't be.
>
>> It's an almost incredibly powerful tool and no other leading
>> wordprocessor has anything like it. WordPerfect doesn't, LibreOffice
>> doesn't, AbiWord or KWord or anything.
>
> There are some specialist editors used by writers like novelists which
> have something like this, along with all kinds of database stuff to keep
> track of plots and timelines and characters.
>
> There are translation editors which do this in two panes (source lang
> and target lang) so that your translation stays synchronised.
>
>> Outline mode is the one thing that keeps Word my go-to writing tool of
>> choice.
>
> The Word styling interface, in particular the Styles Pane, is the sole
> reason I still recommend Word to publishers. LO/OO never implemented
> one, despite urging, so they have deliberately lost the entire
> publishing market, which is a pity, but probably not unexpected given
> their approach to styles.
>
> Peter
>
I have been grazing this thread, and I have to say this: if you're just 
writing code, or reminder messages to yourself, you can use any format
you wnat, but if you're writing for someone else to read, and perhaps
to publish, whether you like it or not, WORD is the format they expect,
so use it. I save everything in .doc (1997-2003) format, because 
everyone in the world can read it and work with it. Like it or not, WORD
is here to stay! (And use Windows EXTREMELY seldom!)
--doug