[texhax] [TeXhax] Latex: dumbing down ?

[Philip TAYLOR]

Victor Ivrii wrote:

> Yeah, right !!! LaTeX users are lazy bastards :-)

I did realise after posting my last message that
"LaTeX" is almost certainly an elision of "LazyTeX";
I wonder why Leslie Lamport didn't bother to
explain the etymology of the name !

> Sorry, all TeX users are lazy bastards!!! The truly industrious folks
> use the China ink and a brush or goose pen :-) And If a true
> calligrapher makes a tiny mistake, he burns the almost ready
> manuscript; no Undo. So, Philip, either stop call LaTeX users names or
> shut down your computer and take a brush :-)

I have many such brushes, and ink stones, and Chinese
ink blocks; sadly my talents in that area are as weak
(if not weaker) than my spoken Chinese, and I still
make use of mechanical means of typesetting whilst
my calligraphic skills remain unequal to the task ...

> The matter of fact is that the most of my colleagues are mainly
> thinking about great research ...

Yes, I didn't mean to imply that they were /generally/ lazy,
simply "lazy" in wishing to get something typeset without
being willing to expend as much effort on the typesetting
as they are on the research.  It's rather like Indian food :
the lazy buy Mr Asda's "Indian meal for four", take it
home, put it in the microwave oven and then eat it; those
who actually /care/ make the onion, garlic and ginger base;
add the paprika and tomatoes; pre-cook the meat in the base
sauce and turmeric; bring the stage-2 sauce to near boiling;
add the chilli and the salt; add the meat; add the cumin,
fenugreek, coriander, garam masalla, ...; finally they
remove the excess ghee, garnish with fresh coriander and
serve.  I know which of the two I'd prefer to eat :-)

** Phil.