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Article #482Meta-literacy (was Re: a word-processor for UNIX)
From: John Campbell
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 1989 15:15
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 1989 15:15
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From article <2147@randvax.UUCP>, by urban@randvax.UUCP (Mike Urban):
>
> At the risk of belaboring a point that has been made several times,
> it would be more useful to work with an experienced professional
> in layout design in order to create the Troff macros or LaTeX document
> style for your Generic Barbarian novel or whatever. When everyone
> becomes an amateur layout designer, the result is inevitably a
> great deal of amateurish layout.
> --
>
> Mike Urban
> urban@rand.ORG
With apology to Leslie Lamport, let's go back about 3000 years. In that
era wouldn't the paragraph above have said:
"It is more useful to work with an experienced scribe in forming your
letters in order to create a shipping list, business report, or whatever.
When everyone becomes an amateur literate, the result is inevitably a
great deal of amateurish literature."
I guess I'm thinking of examples from Hofstadter where fonts (even layout)
change to enhance meta information in text. Original handwritten notes had
this capacity--why not computer text? If amateur literature (letters, email,
etc.) has proven useful, couldn't a case be made for amateur layout.
Perhaps 3000 years from now it will be common to "write" with expression;
maybe we'll have to learn meta-literacy.
--
John Campbell ...!arizona!naucse!jdc
CAMPBELL@NAUVAX.bitnet
unix? Sure send me a dozen, all different colors.
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!asuvax!noao!arizona!naucse!jdc From: jdc@naucse.UUCP (John Campbell) Newsgroups: comp.text Subject: Meta-literacy (was Re: a word-processor for UNIX) Message-ID: <1627@naucse.UUCP> Date: 3 Aug 89 15:15:58 GMT References: <2147@randvax.UUCP> Organization: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ Lines: 31