Why I Use Windows
The other day, I was typing up my physics lab in Microsoft Word. The Linux geek sitting next to me noticed this, and proceeded to bug me about not using Latex. In this case, the fact that I had to submit it in just over an hour and a half was enough to keep me on my merry way, but the thought did pop up: Why do I use stuff like Microsoft Word instead of other, probably more powerful options?
I should probably note that I am in no way, shape, or form against open-source software and its ilk. In fact, on two occasions, I have run Ubuntu Linux on my computer. The trouble is, both those times resulted in me having to reformat my hard drive due to a stupid mistake of some sort. You see, open-source software tends to want to give more power to the user. The caveat, however, is that it results in more opportunities for the user to mess up, and it almost always results in a much steeper learning curve.
It's easy to see why there's the greater chance of accidentally blowing up your hard drive. As for the higher degree of difficulty, consider the following equation, written in both LaTeX and Microsoft Word 2007:
LaTeX: \[z \left( 1 \ +\ \sqrt{\omega_{i+1} + \zeta -\frac{x+1}{\Theta +1} y + 1} \ \right)\ \ \ =\ \ \ 1\]
MSWord: z(1 + v(\omega_(i+1)+ \zeta-(x+1)/((\Theta+1) ) y+1) = 1
In addition, Word automatically processes the equation as you go along, while LaTeX requires you to compile the file before viewing it, which is rather laborious if you don't know what you're doing. This does not mean LaTeX doesn't have its advantages, though. Word files can only be opened by other computers with Word 2007, while LaTeX generates PDFs that can be viewed by anyone. Furthermore, LaTeX is much more powerful, as you can include stuff like variables and loops.
In my daily usage, I don't really need a whole lot. There's rarely a case where Word doesn't have what I'm looking for, and I usually don't have to worry about compatibility, since I typically just print the files and turn them in. However, if there is a situation where neither of these is true, I would see no problem with using LaTeX for the time being.
Of course, the one thing I did not mention was cost. In my case, I happened to get Microsoft Office as part of a bundle that I had to purchase for the university anyway, so I didn't actually pay anything. On the other hand, had I had to pay for it, I would certainly not buy it. I used OpenOffice before, and in the four years that I used it, I had very few problems.
I should also note that I am not outright endorsing either one. I am just saying that each method has situations where they would be more useful, and that there is oftentimes no true right answer as to which one is better.
Now Apple, well that's a different story. Maybe I'll come back to that later.
First post | Previous post | Blog index | RSS Feed | Next post | Last post
All comments
Harry White, 01/03/2010 02:04 (reply to comment):By the way, you should notice that there is reCAPTCHA now, which means that hopefully the comments won't be spammed again.
Sam, 01/03/2010 02:14 (reply to comment):Comment comment comment!
fsufitch, 01/03/2010 05:02 (reply to comment):Not quite a fair comparison, since LaTeX is a markup language that generates documents, and Word is just a word processor. It's like comparing PHP to FrontPage. If you want to compare word editors though, in OpenOffice.org, the expression you showed can be done as:
z left(1+sqrt{%omega sub{i+1} +%zeta -{x+1}over{%THETA+1}y +1} right) = 1
... and it also updates on the fly and all that jazz. LaTeX is overkill in this case, since its purpose is another: to be a pre-printing dynamic formatting tool for big projects. For example, from a Word, ODT or PDF, you'd have to work for quite some time to convert a report from regular print to book print. However if you have the LaTeX source, you can generate both in the span of a few minutes.
And, regarding wiping your hard drive with Linux: don't blame open source for what is not its fault. Mistakes are equally applicable whenever installing either Linux or Windows. I'd be hard pressed to believe that if you were given a computer with Ubuntu on it by default, and then tried to install Windows on it, that no stupid mistakes could happen. And yes, those
do exist.
Harry White, 01/03/2010 08:19 (reply to comment):In this case, Word contains a built-in markup language, which I guess I could have been more clear about. Also, I wasn't aware that OO.org had a built-in equation editor, which would be pretty sweet if I decide to switch again. Not that I would have gotten any kinder remarks -- the person referenced also derided me for using noted open-source program Notepad++ instead of Vim or Emacs.
And yes, that's the point I'm trying to make. much of the time, LaTeX
is overkill. You don't need it for something like a math homework. It's meant to handle stuff bigger than that. So why should I use a backhoe when a shovel is all I really need?
Yeah, that was probably a pretty cop-out explanation. But still, I have had bad experiences with trying to use Linux from an administrative standpoint. The point is, I found Linux (or Ubuntu, to be exact) confusing to the extent that I've decided to switch back to Windows twice, and I don't exactly consider myself unskilled with computers.
Becca, 01/03/2010 09:38 (reply to comment):Ew LaTex
fsufitch, 01/03/2010 12:53 (reply to comment):You might just have a bad case of "DOIN IT RONG". I know some people at Poly with way less computer experience than you, and who are using Linux primarily with no problem. However, you're right that Linux is more prone to people getting confused, and last I checked they're working hard to fix that. That and making sure it works with
4096 processors for those of us for who 1024 wasn't enough.
Harry White, 01/03/2010 16:01 (reply to comment):Possibly. Still, it's blown up in my face twice already, so I'm kinda hesitant to try again.
S, 01/02/2011 19:04 (reply to comment):Desktop Linux isn\'t really worth using; Windows 7 pretty much blows anything Linux can muster up, completely out of the water.\r\n\r\nI\'m hoping Ubuntu\'s move to Wayland (Something, anything, other than X -- I think the compositing engine and other graphically-intensive stuff needs to be in the kernel (GEM is already a partial concession that user-space simply ISN\'T the place for back-end graphics processing), but simply getting *away* from the POS which is X is a start.) will help improve the situation, but until Linux gets (a) a real Windowing system and (b) a real sound system, it\'s not worth it. Period.
S, 01/02/2011 19:07 (reply to comment):Now that's just idiotic. I had scripting turned off, and when I submitted my comment it bounced back again with that extra markup (the backticks, etc) added, so I assumed that was some kinda post-processing of the comment -- I didn't try to figure out why -- and reposted it as-was; that mess, above, is the result.
jboning, 08/10/2011 10:34 (reply to comment):I've been mostly using LaTeX for homework for a couple of years now. I used Word for a lab report recently, and couldn't bear it. I felt like I had very little control over formatting changes--not in the sense that they are less powerful, but that they are less precise. If I make a word bold, and then decide I want to insert another word after that, will the new word be bold? Sometimes I want it to be, and sometimes I don't... I'd really rather have the boundaries of formatting be obvious.
Additionally, I really like semantic formatting directives. If I want monospace text, I can write \texttt{blah}, rather than having to pick a monospace font for myself. When I want a *bunch* of things formatted, this is a huge improvement over having to scroll through a long menu full of fonts every time. And the ability to create new commands is priceless.
As an added bonus, being able to keep my hands on my keyboard for the whole process is much better than having to switch to my touchpad.
P.S. Half of my captcha right now is $G_n(E,$. How appropriate.