RE: equation editors and TeX (long) (was "Equation Editor")

[Paul Topping <PaulT mathtype com>]

More comments below. Non-controversial stuff from previous posts has been
cut out.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Martin Sevior [mailto:msevior mccubbin ph unimelb edu au]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2000 3:43 AM
> To: Paul Topping
> Cc: 'gnome-components-list gnome org'; 'Sri Ramkrishna'
> Subject: RE: equation editors and TeX (long) (was "Equation Editor")
> 
> > The word processor's font selection
> > model (choose a font/style, type, choose another 
> font/style, type some more)
> > must be different from that of an equation editor's (font/style for
> > variables and text fragments is set up ahead of time, 
> interrupted by the
> > occasional math symbol, the entry of which doesn't change 
> the current
> > font/style). The space bar should probably be disabled as 
> spacing should be
> > automatic. Math typesetting uses about 6 different space 
> widths, non of
> > which is equal to the standard inter-word space. And so on.
> >
> 
> This is a good hint. Thanks. Hmm there are times when I do 
> want a space
> though. Maybe the ee should be smart enough to put the right amount of
> space given the context.

MathType and EE have a text mode for putting a natural language phrase in an
equation. The space bar is enabled in that mode. The rest of the time, the
right size spaces are added automatically. If the user inserts any one of
several size explicit spaces (not with the space bar), the space so entered
replaces the automatically generated space.

> > > I've thought about your enhanced XML and I don't agree. If 
> > > MathML is not
> > > sufficiently rich it should be expanded by a standards 
> > > committee so that
> > > everyone can easily exchange documents. We in Abi already 
> > > have export to
> > > Latex so this is an easy decision. 
> > 
> > So, what you are saying is that Gnome/Abiword's word 
> processor and equation
> > editor will be good for making very basic technical 
> documents, but for
> > "real" technical work, users should export to LaTeX. That 
> really makes me
> > sad. If you have set your sights this low, you can 
> definitely count me out.
> > Say it ain't so.
> > 
> 
> Well far be it for me to say what gnome believes but I think Abiword
> developrs feel quite strongly about this. We want to be 100% standards
> compliant. Think of it as marketing opportunity for you. You 
> can offer an
> enhanced Math component. I don't think MathML is such a low 
> standard. My
> course in advanced ElectroDynamics and all of the papers I've 
> published
> (I'm an experimental Particle Physicist) can be accomodated 
> in MathML I
> think. Frankly I can't think of the sort of technical work 
> that not would
> be covered by MathML and I don't want to delay implementing a 
> math system
> that will accomodate 99.5% of our users with an escape hatch for the
> remaining 0.5% while a more advanced system is developed. We 
> gain a lot of
> momentum and can reuse a lot of code by being Standards 
> Compliant. We can
> even blame someone else if a users special feature is missing - or we
> could direct them to you :-)

In my mind, the question here is not one of standards compliance but of
using a standard as it was intended.

> > > Anyway that's what I want from an entry point of view. I 
> > > think it is all
> > > doable. From a display point of view there is lots of code to 
> > > borrow. The
> > > MathML project in Mozzilla appears to making good progress in 
> > > implementing
> > > Latex quality symbol positioning. When I get the chance 
> I'll look into
> > > that.
> > 
> > What I've seen of the MathML project in Mozilla looks 
> really pretty good.
> > However, I must insist that you really think hard about 
> this. Users that
> > have to create real technical documents will be forced to 
> wait for years for
> > stuff to get added to MathML, symbols added to Unicode, and 
> implementers to
> > catch up to both. MathML is an exchange format!!! An 
> equation editor should
> > be able to both import it and export it, via cut-and-paste, 
> drag-and-drop,
> > and programmatically.
> > 
> 
> See above. Just coming up with a new XML format would be real 
> hard work
> for us, (well me). I'd rather devote that time to making a great
> interface.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Martin
> 
>