Re: Org Tutorials need more structure

[Charles Millar <millarc@verizon.net>]

On 9/28/2013 5:52 PM, John Hendy wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 28, 2013 at 4:31 PM, Marcin Borkowski <mbork@wmi.amu.edu.pl> wrote:
>> Dnia 2013-09-28, o godz. 16:50:09
>> Charles Millar <millarc@verizon.net> napisał(a):
>>
>>> On 9/28/2013 3:52 PM, Thomas S. Dye wrote:
>>>> Aloha Carsten,
>>>>
>>> snip
>>>> First, I think that most statements about "what Org-mode is" are
>>>> outdated. Many of them are quite good, but they represent the
>>>> previous state of an evolving system and so fail to capture the
>>>> full scope. To my mind, Org-mode is a "research programming
>>>> interface" written by and for scientists who take very seriously
>>>> certain core values of the scientific enterprise--reproducibility,
>>>> open access, and open source (a partial list).
>>> Strongly disagree with the sentiment. My undergraduate degree may
>>> gave been Physics, but I work as a freelance paralegal. I use Org
>>> Mode for project (file) planning, scheduling, drafting documents,
>>> etc. Also, I believe that there are some very active participants on
>>> this list who are not scientists and have made great contributions.
>> +1.  Although I'm also a scientist (mathematics), I used Org-mode /once/
>> for science, and it turned out that I felt very much constrained and
>> quickly got back to LaTeX, where I felt much more comfortable.
>> http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski
>> Adam Mickiewicz University
>>
> This is starting to remind me of bike-shedding. Org-mode is a toolbox
> providing various things that can work toward whatever end one wants.
> It's agnostic to field. It doesn't really matter what the end uses are
> -- Org-mode "is" what functions it provides. How those are combined by
> others in various fields, lines of work, or so on are simply
> illustrations of it's capabilities with respect to neat ways of
> combining various aspects of what Org "is."
>
> Thus, I wouldn't try to pitch these things one way or another ("Org is
> great for paralegals" or "Org is the answer for those doing
> re-producible research"); I'd simply list what it does as what is "is"
> and what it can be used "for" as a way to entice new users and help
> get into the top results of some google searches for
> tools/solutions/etc..
>
> It seems we all get what it really "is," (TODOs/agenda, universal
> markdown -> export to tons of formats, allowing mixing of
> prose/code/results, and so on), but are sort of trying to lay claim to
> why these tools make it best suited toward some particular field.
>
> Whether you use one of Org's features or all of them, it is what it is
> and this can be highlighted in a neat manner and made appealing to
> those looking for help in these relevant areas of life.
>
>
> John
>
>
You said it better than I.

Charlie