Subject: Re: Reveal codes (was Re: Zero-length Runs and show codes)
From: Chris Winne (chris@wru.umt.edu)
Date: Thu Feb 15 2001 - 18:24:19 CST
> At 05:36 PM 2/15/01 -0600, Sam TH wrote:
> >Also to concur with your other email: reveal codes is useful for
> >fixing problem caused by formatting instructions that you thought you
> >got rid of, but really didn't. Or other such cruft that the word
> >processor thought needed to be there, but you really didn't want.
> >
> >Sure, it would be great if this never happened in Abi. And I've never
> >actually needed to look at the source of an Abi document to fix a
> >problem in the document that I would have used reveal codes for. But
> >I highly doubt it won't be useful someday.
>
> OK. Sounds like we all understand each other. My contention is that any
> "such cruft" is a bug that should be fixed directly. Period.
>
> I just purely *hate* the idea of designing a feature into our UI whose sole
> reason for existing is that we screwed something else up. Broken by design
> was never what I was shooting for.
>
> To the many people who believe that we may need these feature "someday", all
> I ask is that you *wait* to implement this until:
>
> - that someday really arrives, and
> - we agree that there is no "real" fix for the underlying problem.
>
> Anything less just feels like giving up.
>
> Paul,
> absolutist
>
>
Just my two bits as a new reader who just got Abiword compiled on my home Linux
(no problems), but still grappling at work with AIX (keyboard input not accepted
except tabs, CR, but can cut and paste test documents). I get the same problems
with the precompiled version or my own build ... but more on that later.
For me, REVEAL CODES has always been useful in WP not only to fix problems, but
for cutting and pasting exactly what I want. Admittedly I'm still stuck on a
5.1 version of WP and I don't use Word since I don't use windoze. Perhaps there
is no real need for it in a modern well designed program, but to be able to do
so seems comforting at least and conceivable easier in many cases. Admittedly,
I also often prefer command line management unix than the GUI interfaces. I'll
agree to withold final judgement for now.
Chris Winne
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