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List:       lyx-users
Subject:    Re: Strategies for Writing Co-operation with Non-LyX Users?
From:       Piero Faustini <pierofaustini () hotmail ! com>
Date:       2009-01-26 10:08:21
Message-ID: loom.20090126T092336-420 () post ! gmane ! org
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Hello fellow humanists!

What a luck! "Only" one of your colleagues use LaTeX and "some" use Oo? "Only" 
the editors use LaTeX?
In my area and field (italian history of music), "World" and "Word" mean the 
same thing, and everything which happens to us, little insignificant mortal 
scholars, is because of the will of the Big Bill, who rescued our souls just a 
bunch of years ago out of the dark fogs of the ink and paper era and tought us 
the principle of the MS enlightment.
My supervisor, known in our field for his above-average informatical knowledge 
with databases and so on, once called "exotic" some of my documents printed 
with Oo. I'm just starting publishing things in small, medium-size and large 
publications. Everywhere, when asked "what if LaTeX?", after a "what what?" 
they always told me: "please send us printed paper and .DOC in CD (!) or email 
if possible".
There's no way to break the entire chain of MS rule, other than go straight, 
ignoring it.
With my supervisor now I got back to paper: I print out my drafts, hand to him, 
get back the red pen corrections and type them into my LyX document. I love 
this: past and future altogether, but far away from the flattened MS present.

But you were talking about Strategies. It's quite hard for me to have my docs 
converted to OO (something not working in my LyX install) so I can't help you 
with technical things. The best strategy is to spread the LyX verb. If you only 
convince one person, you'll be two instead of one, which is to double the 
effort. This is a long-term strategy. Another long-long-term strategy is to 
promote (and partecipate to) the developmente of LyX (and related sw) in a 
simplified and humanists-friendly (rather non-scientific friendly) direction, 
which is IMHO one of the primary goals of LyX.

When I will able to show my colleagues some LyX versions with BibLaTeX (for 
humanist bibliographies) fully working, perfect Lilypond (a LaTeX-like music 
typesetter) integration without having to tweak code and so on, chances of 
victory will be for LyX. Till that day, no way.

Peter was talking about google docs. document-sharing is IMHO the weakest 
battlefront for LyX (and for a lot of free software and projects), and the 
final battle will be fought there, but this is future, and it's out of this 
post.

Still curious to hear some more opinions and experiences.

Piero



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