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Re: Frontend suggestions

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg111732] Re: Frontend suggestions
  • From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
  • Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:25:42 -0400 (EDT)

That's a most interesting proposal, and one that would obviously take a 
lot of thought to design properly and integrate into the existing 
structure. There's also the issue of performance, of course.

My suspicion is that the present scrolling-window orientation -- what 
you call "writing in galley mode" -- is due to some Mathematica 
designer/developer(s) not really believing in the future of printed 
media, with their page orientation. Whatever the validity of their view, 
though, it's somewhat irrelevant: even in a strictly on-screen-only 
environment, one still needs to deal with the issue of how much should 
fit on screen at once. This becomes even more pressing an issue with 
devices such as iPads and iPhones.

On 8/11/2010 4:46 AM, Hans Michel wrote:
> The FE and the language itself needs a new expression between Notebook and
> Cell (above CellGroup which is still a Cell) we need Compartment.
> Compartments can exist side by side in the screen environment and content
> can overflow into the next linked Compartment.
>
> With Compartment you can now do interactive pagination.
>
> The FE still feels as if one is writing in Galley mode. Pagination is or
> feels batched. Is it a notebook or a scroll?
>
> So in version 8 or 9 or earlier I would like to see:
> Mathematica notebooks consist of lists of Compartments objects.
> New in 8 or 9 or earlier
>
> Hans
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Bailey [mailto:dave at removedbailey.co.uk]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 2:55 AM
> To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
> Subject: [mg111713] [mg111677] Frontend suggestions
>
> Since the subject of possible enhancements to the FE is being discussed,
> I wonder if we could determine which feature would be most popular. I
> have two requests:
>
> 1)  Infinite undo!
>
> 2)  Better documentation of functions such as Import that perform a
> range of operations. So many details seem to slip between the cracks.
> For example, nowhere does there seem to be a statement that .mid files
> can be exported but not imported!
>
> 3)  A total ban on the word "typical" - it doesn't belong in
> documentation that is supposed to be definitive!
>
> Please add suggestions in replies and we can see which is the most popular.
>
> David Bailey
>
> http://www.dbaileyconsultancy.co.uk
>
>
>

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.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


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