Re: Notebook interface and Wolfram-Alpha
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg117186] Re: Notebook interface and Wolfram-Alpha
- From: Didier laplot <didier.laplot at gmail.com>
- Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:04:12 -0500 (EST)
Sorry, but I disagree here. The old behaviour displayed a thin grey line in the same way but without the "plus" button. The only difference is this button which, when pressed, shows the new "input type" local menu, that is to say choosing between either standard Mathematica input in the usual way, input in a free form, or input to be sent to the Wolfram-Alpha servers. The position of the cursor does not interfere here. With the traditional thin grey line, I would make sure my cursor is somewhere in the notebook, below the last output line or the line under which I want to add text and a new cell is created immediately as soon as I start typing. The same is true in version 8 with the difference that now there is a button. I really don't see in what way this new behaviour is a visible indicator and confirmation of the position of the cursor. Anyway, as I indicated on another message to the list, I got rid of the button by hacking the Default StyleSheet. As for the "annoyance" bit, as I explained earlier, I like the clean immaculate white page of the previous versions better and in my current use of the system I have no need for Alpha or for free input. On Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 12:15 PM, Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu> wrote: > That's strange: With Mathematica 8.0.1 under Mac OSX, whenever I open a > new (blank) notebook, the first thing I see is a horizontal line with > the + symbol just below its left end, indicating that's where I can type > input in a new cell. And then after I evaluate a cell, immediately > below the output I see such a line with the + icon there, too. (The > line and + go away as soon as you begin to type in the new cell.) > > I find this a handy confirmation that the cursor is where a new cell can > be created -- a more immediately visible indicator that the old way. > > this can be handy, especially, for novice users who may be puzzled as to > where to type input. Yet the line and + icon are so unobtrusive that > they certainly don't annoy me, a very long-time and experienced > Mathematica user. (I just don't get what could be so "annoying" about > it -- other than that it's something a bit new and different.) > > I see the same behavior with Mathematica 8.0.1 under Windows (XP). And > I'm pretty sure the new behavior began with 8.0.0. > > > > > On 3/9/2011 6:57 AM, DrMajorBob wrote: >> I don't see any "plus" signs on my Mac with version 8, so this thread is= a >> mystery to me. >> >> Bobby >> >> On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:37:39 -0600, Didier laplot >> <didier.laplot at gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> David Park suggested setting CellInsertionPointCell->None and >>> ShowCellBracket->True (or False), but these settings do not get rid of >>> this small annoyance on my Mac version. >>> He was also kind enough to send me his PresentationStyle stylesheet >>> and when this stylesheet is applied to a notebook, indeed the "plus" >>> sign does not appear. >>> But I'm still looking for a way to suppress the "plus" sign in a >>> notebook in version 8 without having to resort to any particular >>> stylesheet. A global option setting in the system that would revert >>> the display to the old simple traditional notebook interface. >>> >>> Thanks. >>> >> >> > > -- > Murray Eisenberg murray at math.umas= s.edu > Mathematics & Statistics Dept. > Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H) > University of Massachusetts 413 545-2859 (= W) > 710 North Pleasant Street fax 413 545-1801 > Amherst, MA 01003-9305 > >