From: parry@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Tom J Parry) Subject: Want to write a word processor ? Date: Tue, 18 May 1993 14:16:53 GMT
A few points before we begin:
I'm very tired so this might not make sense.
This may have been discussed adnauseum before - forgive me.
The three great applications which have popularised PC use are
essentially the WYSIWIG word processor, the spread sheet and the
friendly database. Now I love linux, feel claustrophobic on anything else,
but I still wouldn't leave my family to happily word process under it.
Nevertheless, it is an excellent programming environment which is capable
of producing a very powerful, attractive, stable wordprocessor which
would:
(a) Be free
(b) Therefore be well used, supported and stable.
There is an enormous amount of spare programming power out there, and I
need a recreational piece of programming - so I figured that if I designed
it (with lots of input from other knowledgeable people on the intricasies
of X, fonts, postscript etc), it wouldn't be hard to get a dozen or so
programmers to write it neatly. We could do it right from "artists impressions"
through to design and documentation. I would want it written neatly in
C++ with some coding conventions etc.
There is just so much effort going into linux that I would hate to see a
badly featured proprietary operating system steal its thunder.
So flame me, offer suggestions, words of wisdom, cries of "it will never
work, or it's been done" - laughter - tears of joy. I really wanted to
sit down and have the design ready before I presented it to the world,
but I think parallel design is even feasible.
(or just ignore me - I knew I ommitted an option)
-- Tom J Parry. Your reality is a figment of my imagination.