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Re: [O] Org Tutorials need more structure


From: John Hendy
Subject: Re: [O] Org Tutorials need more structure
Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 16:52:31 -0500

On Sat, Sep 28, 2013 at 4:31 PM, Marcin Borkowski <address@hidden> wrote:
> Dnia 2013-09-28, o godz. 16:50:09
> Charles Millar <address@hidden> napisaƂ(a):
>
>> On 9/28/2013 3:52 PM, Thomas S. Dye wrote:
>> > Aloha Carsten,
>> >
>> snip
>> > First, I think that most statements about "what Org-mode is" are
>> > outdated. Many of them are quite good, but they represent the
>> > previous state of an evolving system and so fail to capture the
>> > full scope. To my mind, Org-mode is a "research programming
>> > interface" written by and for scientists who take very seriously
>> > certain core values of the scientific enterprise--reproducibility,
>> > open access, and open source (a partial list).
>> Strongly disagree with the sentiment. My undergraduate degree may
>> gave been Physics, but I work as a freelance paralegal. I use Org
>> Mode for project (file) planning, scheduling, drafting documents,
>> etc. Also, I believe that there are some very active participants on
>> this list who are not scientists and have made great contributions.
>
> +1.  Although I'm also a scientist (mathematics), I used Org-mode /once/
> for science, and it turned out that I felt very much constrained and
> quickly got back to LaTeX, where I felt much more comfortable.
> http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski
> Adam Mickiewicz University
>

This is starting to remind me of bike-shedding. Org-mode is a toolbox
providing various things that can work toward whatever end one wants.
It's agnostic to field. It doesn't really matter what the end uses are
-- Org-mode "is" what functions it provides. How those are combined by
others in various fields, lines of work, or so on are simply
illustrations of it's capabilities with respect to neat ways of
combining various aspects of what Org "is."

Thus, I wouldn't try to pitch these things one way or another ("Org is
great for paralegals" or "Org is the answer for those doing
re-producible research"); I'd simply list what it does as what is "is"
and what it can be used "for" as a way to entice new users and help
get into the top results of some google searches for
tools/solutions/etc..

It seems we all get what it really "is," (TODOs/agenda, universal
markdown -> export to tons of formats, allowing mixing of
prose/code/results, and so on), but are sort of trying to lay claim to
why these tools make it best suited toward some particular field.

Whether you use one of Org's features or all of them, it is what it is
and this can be highlighted in a neat manner and made appealing to
those looking for help in these relevant areas of life.


John



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