Latex is too inflexible!

[fg@fgbbs.iaf.nl (Frans Goddijn)]

See below, a message that I posted in comp.text.tex. It's meant as bait
for new users to get caught on! I wonder if other ConTeXt users from this
list also try to expand the user base by introducing new users to ConTeXt.

Since Hans Hagen is off to Poland for a TeX conference, and I haven't seen
Ton Otten around here much yet, this means that the users are on their own
for a couple of days...

* Forwarded (from: comp.text.tex) by Frans Goddijn using timEd/2 1.10+.
* Originally from Frans Goddijn (314:85/0) to all.
* Original dated: Sat Aug 15, 14:16

said william_g_gruff@my-dejanews.com to All:

 wm> Latex is just too inflexible. I just don't seem to be able to get
 wm> into it. Does anyone have any tips about how to make it more
 wm> flexible? 

It's too flexible, I'd say. LaTeX is a package around TeX with thousands
of smaller stylefile-extensions to it by as many authors. The result is
that LaTeX can do about anything you want it to do --- no, let me
rephrase, anything that a LaTeX guru has wanted it to do in the past and
for which that LaTeX guru has written and published a stylefile or other
hack.

 wm> Plus, I can never get it to look the way I want - I want my stuff
 wm> to look really polished, but it always ends up looking dull - and
 wm> don't blame the contents!

If you know what you want your texts to look like, there's a stylefile out
there which can pull that off. Chances are that this stylefile has not
been updated for compliance with a newer version of LaTeX, or the
stylefile may clash with another stylefile that you use for another
reason.

 wm> I'm new here, so any help is welcome.

If you're starting out today, than it might be wise to check out ConTeXt.
It's, if I may say so, LaTeX's big brother, born later, but much better
educated. It's a monolithic package that can do all you could do with all
the latest and less recent stylefiles and the latest LaTeX, PLUS a batch
of stuff more. It has a user interface in three languages: english, german
and dutch and the very pretty manual can be downloaded from the Internet
for free, as free as the package itself is for most users:

http://www.ntg.nl/context

Met hartelijke groet!

 Frans Goddijn   | bbs: +31 (0)26 3217041
 Postbus 30196   | email: fg@fgbbs.iaf.nl
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 The Netherlands | http://www.iaf.nl/Users/Meridian 
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