My DREAM word-processor

My dream word processor is one that works on both Solaris (2.5 ideally, but 2.8 is OK) and Linux (I'm running Mandrake 9.0). This WYSIWYG processor would have features for math formulae, inserting images, exporting in PostScript, PDF, and HTML. It should be Open Source. So far I haven't been able to find an acceptable solution. Here's what I've tried and the results.

Linux Solaris

LyX LyX version 1.2.1 LyX version 1.2.3 *.lyx documentation Works fine. files generate _LOTS_ No HTML of TeX syntax errors

TeXmacs Core dumps often Works fine No HTML or PDF

OpenOffice Huge resource hog Same as Linux

KOffice Huge resource hog Same as Linux

Ted Claims image sup't, Same as Linux but it doesn't work

Abiword Not much math Core dumps

Does anyone have anything else to add/detract from this? Am I unusual in seeing these troubles? Does LyX 1.2.3 work well on Linux?

Results snipped. My 'word processor', if you insist on the word, has been LyX for a long time. I'm a Linux user, no Solaris. LyX is at 1.3 now, if it has disappointed you in the 1.2 phase, check it out. Anyway, you can (as I sometimes but seldom have) improve LyX's LaTeX code by hand, it's not so much trouble after all. In my experience, it's the best way to produce complex and/or scientific documents. A simple letter or a memo you can write with emacs or MS Word, doesn't matter really.

There's your problem: WYSIWYG (or as I prefer, WYSIAYG, What You See Is All You Get).

If you drop that WYSIAYG requirement, vi and groff will do the job admirably ('though you'll probably need to play a bit to get PDF output).

As for resource hogs, what sort of a machine are you running? Given the cheapness of machines these days, I'm surprised you're running into resource limitations.

]My dream word processor is one that works on both Solaris (2.5 ]ideally, but 2.8 is OK) and Linux (I'm running Mandrake 9.0). ]This WYSIWYG processor would have features for math formulae, ]inserting images, exporting in PostScript, PDF, and HTML. It

Ie, you want something which has all the bells and whistles.

]should be Open Source. So far I haven't been able to find an ]acceptable solution. Here's what I've tried and the results.

] Linux Solaris

How about TeX or Latex Use any word processor.

]LyX LyX version 1.2.1 LyX version 1.2.3 ] *.lyx documentation Works fine. ] files generate _LOTS_ No HTML ] of TeX syntax errors

There exist rpms of lyx

Try Nedit from http://nedit.org.

What sort of errors? Are you tex-ing the *.lyx foles directly? If so, RTFM. *.lyx files are not tex files. LyX generates *.tex output, and will produce *.dvi, *.ps *.pdf, and *.html files. The HTML files are generated by tth, so do occasionally need hand-editing for things like links. If you don't have html output, then install tth and re-configure lyx.

I have been using LyX since its inception. It has come a long ways since then, but it has been years since it produced a bad TeX file.

Yeah, and equations are awkward. For mathematical formulas, nothing beats LyX.

Sure it does. Show me the bad tex files that it generated for you.

OK, I'll try 1.3. The LaTex massaging idea might be OK. I'm a TeX novice.

What? No vim/groff? ;^) That or Abiword are my usual choice.

PostScript for printing, PDF for portability _to_ windows users, and HTML for authoring.

I'd rather avoid the learning curve for TeX/latex.

The 1.2.1 version is the Mandrake 9.0 rpm. 1.2.3 exists in Mandrake 9.1, but it's RPM doesn't install on 9.0 due to library version dependencies. I'm planning to upgrade to MDK 9.1

Of course, LyX will use whatever you tell it to use to generate HTML. At least it used to, I've settled to tth for years now. Just a point about LyX's flexibility

Looks like a great editor, especially for coding. I actually tried it a number of years ago as an alternative for my wife so she'd have an easy to use editor

I consider myself an expert in vi/groff. I've done scientific docs with those before. I'm looking for something that's a bit easier to work with. I thought LyX and/or TeXmacs could be good choices.

It doesn't really matter what kind of machine I'm running. The hogs I mentioned come with way more stuff that I don't want; maybe it's 10:1 ratio of unwanted:wanted. At any rate, I'm running a 200MHz Pentium I.