From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Paul Thompson Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: (Slightly Off-Topic) Emacs-like Office App Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 13:35:03 -0600 Organization: Washington University in St. Louis Sender: help-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org Message-ID: <3DC2D767.5090509@wubios.wustl.edu> References: <3DC199F6.5080205@wubios.wustl.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1036179063 23461 80.91.224.249 (1 Nov 2002 19:31:03 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 19:31:03 +0000 (UTC) Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 187hVU-00065s-00 for ; Fri, 01 Nov 2002 20:31:00 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10) id 187hVY-0004JW-00; Fri, 01 Nov 2002 14:31:04 -0500 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!canoe.uoregon.edu!arclight.uoregon.edu!wn13feed!worldnet.att.net!207.115.63.142!prodigy.com!prodigy.com!news.cc.ukans.edu!stl-feed.news.verio.net!newsreader.wustl.edu!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 92 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: w2000-paul.biostat.wustl.edu Original-X-Trace: newsreader.wustl.edu 1036178977 16259 128.252.117.116 (1 Nov 2002 19:29:37 GMT) Original-X-Complaints-To: usenet@newsreader.wustl.edu Original-NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 19:29:37 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.0.1) Gecko/20020823 Netscape/7.0 X-Accept-Language: en-us, en Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:106664 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:3217 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:3217 it ain't possible, unless you reinvent word. It is either WYSIWIG or a post-processor, or something worse. Todd Wylie wrote: > Paul Thompson writes: > > > > >>have you ever heard of TeX/LaTeX???? > > > Of course ... I think you missed the point completely. Using Tex involves writing mark-up within your text. It is not real time like a word processor (which is what the original post was about). As a scientist, I use Tex frequently for scientific related articles. This isn't an anti-Emacs thread ... we simply would like to an application that gives another choice when using Emacs. I use whatever tool makes me the most productive for the job at hand. There are times when I would like the simplicity of a word processor with the power and keystroke ability of Emacs. > > Todd > > > > >>Todd Wylie wrote: >> >>>bobstopper@australispro.com.au writes: >>>I, for one, would love to see an application that merged the WYSIWYG >>>features of a word processor with the underlying power of >>>Emacs. This may start the old "Emacs is a text processor not a word >>>processor" debate... but there are times when I want a straight >>>ahead editor (programming) and other times I want to view text in a >>>word processor (I'm writing a book right now). Trying to get Emacs >>>to show text in manuscript format is a pain in the butt >>>(double-spacing lines without hard returns, specific margins, >>>headers and footers with page numbers, etc.). However, no word >>>processor I have ever found matches the power and scope of Emacs >>>(try running a regex search in MS Word). I really do wish someone >>>would merge the two concepts someday. If anyone responds directly to >>>you about such a package existing -- please let me know. Thanks- >>>TODD >>> >>> >>>>Hi >>>> >>>>This isn't really a request for help with Emacs but a request for knowledge >>>>on Applications inspired by Emacs, specifically office type Applications. >>>> >>>>I love how Emacs is so extensible and provides so many features due to its >>>>use of modes and elisp. So what I'm (very idly at this stage) considering >>>>is the idea of an office kinda suite (yeah, like M$) all within the one >>>>program through the use of emacs style modes and retaining a lot of >>>>extensibility through a lisp dialect (probably guile). >>>> >>>>Emacs can probably do something similar to what I'm thinking >>>>already if support was written for it, but I'm thinking Emacs would >>>>probably remain, >>>>well, ugly in the eyes of typical office workers and it would thus >>>>be unappealing. >>>> >>>>Instead I'm envisioning something that looks a lot like current gnome >>>>office products... only it's capable of doing all of them simply by loading >>>>the appropriate modes (perhaps after first writing them ;). >>>> >>>>Gnome office is a great idea and I think it's a great alternative to M$ >>>>office but I think the idea of having separate programs attempting >>>>to integrate through some additional system like bonobo or OLE will >>>>still >>>>remain somewhat unintegrated and perhaps not as consistent in its interface >>>>as what I'm suggesting would be. I imagine typical office users would be >>>>much more satisfied if they only needed the one app that could do everything >>>>and I imagine advanced office users and programmers would be much more >>>>satisfied if they can extend that app to do almost anything they please. >>>> >>>>So if something *better* (rather than just equivalent) than M$ office is >>>>written as part of the GNU/Linux project then we have much more clout for >>>>winning the average user over. I imagine for this sort of goal the app >>>>would almost certainly have to have a fully featured M$ Windows port so >>>>it can first appeal to all these M$ windows users, and once they're won >>>>over it's a small step to realising that if everything they need for >>>>office work is in that app, and that app is available on GNU why not just >>>>use GNU? >>>> >>>>So, with that description of my infant idea in mind, I have a couple of >>>>questions: >>>> >>>>Does anyone know if something like what I'm describing already exists >>>>or is in the process of being written etc? >>>> >>>>and of course: >>>> >>>>Is my idea stupid, infeasible, lacking in some major consideration, too >>>>damned hard etc or is it actually a good idea? >>>> >>>>I'm looking forward to any kinds of comments/suggestions. Thanks! >>>