🚀 go-pugleaf

tlm@iastate.edu (Tom Marchioro) writes:
    [ why would anyone use Frame instead of TeX?]

having written many pages in TeX and then switched to Frame, my primary
reason had to do with wysiwyg editing vs. document compiler editing:

the reason i format my documents in the first place is to make them more
readable.  spacing, fonts, and positioning all help the reader read &
navigate the document.

in the process of writing & editing something, i'm continuously
reading it.  if i use Frame, i get the benefits of that formatting.
if i use TeX, i don't; the file i'm editing is a continuous stream of
monospaced monofont ascii text.  previewing in another window doesn't
really help; then i have to keep mapping back and forth between the
window i'm reading & the window i'm editing.

the secondary reason has to do with TeX's formatting philosophy, which
is something like "i'm very smart and i'll decide how to format things
for you and most of the time i'll be right".  this is a reasonable
trade-off for some people & some documents, but i find i'm happier
with programs that have a philosophy more like "i'll do something
pretty straightforward and predictable, and then make it very easy for
you to adjust it if you want to".

ultimately, i find i get things done faster with Frame and like the
results better.  on the other hand, i think Frame leaves lots of room
for improvement; i've got high hopes for the next generation of NeXT
publishing tools...
                                             .mike.