Re: Frustration: working with collaborators in Word..

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Timo Nieminen schreef:
On Tue, 4 Apr 2006, Allen wrote:

Hi everyone on c.t.tex,

I have a question that must get answered a bazillion times, so I am
happy with very quick replies or pointing to the FAQ etc. I'm searching
as well for the answers to this, but am also asking here.

Essentially, my professor doesn't work in TeX/LaTeX... surprising as his
background is in physics... but oh well. So, writing collaboratively
with him is quite painful. As well, he's pressuring collaboration with
coworkers who are completely LaTeX ignorant. I have hopes of turning
them onto TeX, but unfortunately, I doubt this will happen.

I need to write in LaTeX, as I believe it's output is far superior to
all other programs they hope to use for the same writing, and I want
easy roll-in of my papers etc., into my thesis. Thankfully, the
university has a thesis-class, and this should translate into easy
formatting changes.

Ok, that's the background.

So, my options that I can see are:

1) Write in Word (the horror), translate into TeX after everything is
completed.

2) Convert back and forth into a word-compatible format (hopefully
including figures, but if need be, I can make a figure file as an
appendix). [2b- what program should be used to do this?]

3) You write your bits in latex, they write their bits in Word. You copy
and paste text, and retype equations. Then you give them hardcopy, and
they mark any further changes on that. Insist on figures in eps, or at
least in what format the intended publisher wants.

Swapping a file back-and-forth between authors is a pretty nasty way of
collaborative writing, I recommend avoiding it.

I would say it depends on who the main author of the work is. If this
is your thesis, you can convert all their stuff into LaTeX, and they
have no reason to complain. If this is a real collaboration, well, then
collaborate, i.e. get together and find a solution. You could do a
chapter in each, although from experience, you will see the differences,
so if it is for publishing, you'll have to settle on one solution.

Maybe they can just provide text, and you do the formatting? But then,
you burden yourself with quite a bit...

H.

- --
Hendrik Maryns

==================
www.lieverleven.be
http://aouw.org
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