51–60 of 387 posts
No. That's the "developers" point of view (and a false dichotomy)
Word is focused on the user. If the user wants to italicise one letter, it's OK to let him do it. Sometimes it's a requirement
Of course, the problem with Word is that you can't debug the mess it creates when it doesn't work the way you wanted.
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of writers were less technically savvy, happiest writing in Word, or simply wouldn't know how to write in any other format. It makes sense from the publishers point of view to pick one format and stick with it, so they have a consistent editing style and ability, and only have to deal with converting one format into a final publication. I do feel that this is one of those cases where…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
At home? False premise: It has replaced Word (for me.) That it has not for everyone or as a whole doesn't strike me as odd in the slightest. There are plenty of reasons to use Word. Aside from the fact that it's solid itself, it also has a metric ton of inertia. Those using it already have the license or pirated copy, already know it, have legacy documents using it, and are generally otherwise are left with very litt…
I know I tried to switch to LibreOffice for a few weeks and then ran back screaming. I know some others who have done the same. I haven't yet met a single person who is happier with OOo/LO than with Word; if that's true for you you're the first such person I've heard of.
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of writers were less technically savvy, happiest writing in Word, or simply wouldn't know how to write in any other format. It makes sense from the publishers point of view to pick one format and stick with it, so they have a consistent editing style and ability, and only have to deal with converting one format into a final publication. I do feel that this is one of those cases where…
> It makes sense from the publishers point of view to pick one format and stick with it, so they have a consistent editing style [...] One problem with Word is exactly that it is very difficult to get anything remotely consistent out of it. Even people who are very knowledgeable and smart are unable to use that hodgepodge of completely intransparent styling features correctly. Anything involving numbering and bullets…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know I tried to switch to LibreOffice for a few weeks and then ran back screaming. I know some others who have done the same. I haven't yet met a single person who is happier with OOo/LO than with Word; if that's true for you you're the first such person I've heard of.
I switched to NeoOffice several years ago and currently use LibreOffice. Wrote my dissertation on it. And this despite having access to MS-Office for free through a university license.
(about stylesheets and codes) "Word was in fact broken by design, from the outset -- and it only got worse from there." No. That's the "developers" point of view (and a false dichotomy) Word is focused on the user. If the user wants to italicise one letter, it's OK to let him do it. Sometimes it's a requirement Of course, the problem with Word is that you can't debug the mess it creates when it doesn't work the way y…
And note the 'IMO' bit: Why on earth do people think that because they don't like a piece of software, they want to force all the other happy users to stop using it. It's just selfishness and self-importance. The world won't just use the pieces of software that you want, you are going to have to live with other people's choices.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I switched to NeoOffice several years ago and currently use LibreOffice. Wrote my dissertation on it. And this despite having access to MS-Office for free through a university license.
Cool! What do you like more about it than MS Office?
The point is not that they are better but that they are a suitable replacement for all but a very small niche of power users. But people tend to compare the limit cases even if all they'll ever use are the day-to-day functions.