Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Why do artists have their own software companies?

Author:Jeremy Bowers
Posted:4/20/2000; 11:30:19 AM
Topic:Why do artists have their own software companies?
Msg #:16449 (In response to 16448)
Prev/Next:16448 / 16450

The quality/type of writing is rarely influenced by the tools being used. That is, it's impossible to tell when reading a novel whether the author wrote is longhand, typed it, wordprocessed it, etc.

Really? While I can't identify the tools used as easily as I might identify some filter unique to Photoshop, I find my writing heavily influenced by the tool I choose. Things written in a TEXTAREA are very different then things I write in Pike... and I like LyX even more for really, really lengthy tomes.

Try writing in Windows notepad sometime... with word wrap off... and see if you still think that your tool doesn't matter.

I think that you can think that because you've never seen a truly writer-friendly tool. MSWord ain't it. Pike is getting there (still in beta, after all). LyX is there, IMHO. (It particularly helps when the tools don' actively fight the user the way Word.) Writer-friendly tools result in better organized flows in the final product and easier-to-develop flows in the drafting stages. They can also definately cut down on time.

Professional writers may grow to the point they are performing all of these functions in their head. However, for "the rest of us" they can be a big and definite help.

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