Re: texlive vs. Context minimal on Windows

[Mari Voipio <mari.voipio@iki.fi>]

Hello!

On Sat, Aug 31, 2013 at 6:40 PM, john Culleton <John@wexfordpress.com> wrote:
> Just fyi TeXlive when installed on Windows also loads a program
> submenu, and one of the entries there is texworks. So I can pretty much
> insulate my users from dreaded (by some) command line. That was the
> reason for my original question.

If your users are what I call "an average Windows user", I'd go for
TeXLive, assuming the ConteXt there doesn't have some known *major*
flaw in the basic functions. I must admit for my part that I update my
work ConTeXt - i.e. the one in Windows - only every 3-6 months; I just
can't be bothered without a good reason... A complete beginner won't
need any of the newest features, a slightly outdated version ConTeXt
will do fine for teaching the basics.

I've thought that one of the main ideas with TeXLive is to make life
easier for those who don't like spending time tweaking their computer
or just don't have the knowledge required. As the easier option
exists, why not take it. :-)

TeXworks may not be the world's most advanced editor, but good enough
with highlighting and it allows doing everything by clicking as
opposed to using the unfamiliar command line interface. And frankly,
TeXWorks looks more like "Windows" than SciTe, so it is probably a
better choice anyway. On my Mac I prefer TeXShop to TeXWorks, but the
latter is good enough. Besides, I've been using ConTeXt for a long
time, so I know what I like - beginners will take whatever you give
them and make do. The main thing is to make a choice and stick to it,
to avoid additional confusion.

BTW, I'm working on (or this far, thinking hard about) some material
for a *complete* beginner (coming from the world of WYSIWYG) and also
on some on teaching ConTeXt to non-techies, which will be subject of
my talk at this year's ConTeXt meeting. I'll be happy to share all my
material, if it helps!


Regards,

Mari
(who may have to update to get access to the newest SciTe features -
I'm still trying to make up my mind about whether I want them badly
enough to take the risk...)
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