____/ Thufir on Wednesday 02 January 2008 19:47 : \____
> On Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:33:05 +0000, Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>
>> WYSIWYG where one massages text to fit an A4 sheet or whatever is for
>> people (or kids) who think that writing a letter is like drawing.
>
>
> What are you talking about with regards to drawing? Explain yourself! ;)
Will gladly do. :-)
People have the tendency to work on something based on the idea that it should
be visualised like the final product. Look, for instance, at Web developers
who think that everyone has the same monitor, browser, fonts, device, etc.
Typesetting takes an interesting approach. It's asking you /what/ you want to
achieve and it will then deliver that thing based on the end user's
preference, taking limitations like screen size or disability into account.
Document writing, just like Web development, shouldn't take a canvas-based
analogy. In fact, do bear in mind that some people /listen/ to Web pages
or /feel/ documents rather than view them. If only the education system
encouraged a different approach, things would be simpler and work be more
efficient. I don't put much effort into explaining this, but I hope you can
see the main point.
Another related issue is the teaching of /methods/ versus /memorisation/ (e.g.
menu items versus lateral thinking and topology). There's also a lot of effort
being put into encouraging youngsters to memorise quotes that they will soon
forget -- quotes that they can quickly _look up_. The brain in the digital age
should be used for its strengths, which is instant access to vast amounts of
pointers, not detailed information. Accurate information can be found thanks
to indexing and seemingly-infinite storage capacity of computers (it used to
be libraries and books).
Many things that we do suffer from reluctance to evolve. Just look at Microsoft
CEO, for example. He uses a spreadsheet as his diary. Many people still have
plenty of paper all over their office, so they struggle to find and file
information. These habits are the baggage of legacy and habits that will only
die as generations pass by (so said some scientist whose name I cannot
recall).
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Useless fact: Florida is bigger than England
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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