[Mac OS X TeX] The role of TeXShop

[Benji Fisher]

Joachim Kock wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> TeXShop is a very nice programme --- surely it has come to stay.  Let me
> take the opportunity to thank its developers for their work.  I have used
> it heavily during the last four months --- 3-4 hours a day.  I have also
> experimented a lot with other OSX alternatives: OzTeX, CMacTeX, running tex
> in the terminal, using scripts, previewing with Acrobat, etc...  but I have
> come back to TeXShop as my TeX/previewer/printer of choice: it is faster,
> more elegant, and prints better than its alternatives (in my experience)...
> 
> But here are a few reflections on the future of TeXShop:
> 
> My main observation is that the editor part of TeXShop will never be able
> to substitute or compete with true editors like Alpha or Emacs (nor BBEdit
> or Pepper...).  This weeks question and answer about the very primitive tag
> feature clearly illustrate this.  (Similar considerations apply to other
> programmes like Eudora --- once you get used to Alpha, writing in Eudora
> is like typing with your left thumb...)
> 
[snip]
> A second important criterion is the facility to navigate.  Here I think
> TeXShop can learn a lot from OzTeX and CMacTeX: the main secret is to be
> able to navigate with single key-strokes, like n for next page, b for page
> back, etc. --- no modifier key needed!  For this to work, the main screen
> should be the active field of the window, not those buttons and page number
> fields...  And of course, preferably, these navigation shortcuts should be
> user-configurable just like they are in OzTeX and CMacTeX --- if not via
> preferences then at least via a plist file?
[snip]

     There is already work under way to integrate TeXShop with external
editors.  Keep an eye out for announcements from Jerome Laurens, and have a
look at
http://www.u-bourgogne.fr/monge/j.laurens/TeXShop-beta

     I agree that simple navigation from the keyboard is another area where
TeXShop could be improved.  In fact, since my editor of choice, Vim, can
handle running tex and bibtex and so on, and printing, the thing I most want
is a previewer.  Along with navigation, I would also like to be able to change
magnification and so forth from the keyboard.

					--Benji Fisher

-----------------------------------------------------------------
To UNSUBSCRIBE, send email to <info at email.esm.psu.edu> with
"unsubscribe macosx-tex" (no quotes) in the body.
For additional HELP, send email to <info at email.esm.psu.edu> with
"help" (no quotes) in the body.
This list is not moderated, and I am not responsible for
messages posted by third parties.
-----------------------------------------------------------------