[Scribus] Why do?

[Christoph Schäfer]

Am Sonntag, 23. Juli 2006 20:52 schrieb BandiPat:

> Christoph,
> If I wanted to use QuarkXpress, I'd buy it, but for the same reason many
> of the users of Scribus don't or have defected from it, I don't want
> Scribus to be become it!  

I don't want this either -- I HATE QXP.

> Now certainly you're not going to please all 
> of the people all of the time or even some of the time, but for the same
> reason I don't want my Linux acting like Windows, I also don't want my
> programs acting like another program.  Copied, look alikes shouldn't be
> Scribus'  goals.  But good DTP, typesetting control and easy to use
> should be.  If I wanted difficult, I'd use TeX or LaTeX or one of the
> old Unix programs.  

Agreed.

> Intuitive, easy to use the moment it starts up and 
> still powerful.  Yep, that's what Scribus should be and what I thought
> it was going to be starting out.
>
> I use guides to make columns on a blank page?  I didn't see anything in
> the menu of guides that mentioned columns?  

That's why I mentioned learning basic features. You have to learn what columns 
are, and how and why to use them. You have to learn something about page 
dimensions, and then you either use them as a simple text feature (Shape > 
Columns). OR you decide to let your page layout being completely column 
based, and you add guides (even including some automagic) to the page, 
according to your needs. Voil?, your columns. Why do need the word columns if 
you know what columns are?

> I'm being silly now, I think 
> I know what you mean.  Use the visible guides on the page to draw out
> separate text frames to make columns? 

Exactly! Make the guides snapping, draw your text frames, and link them if 
necessary. That's so simple and logical. And you always have 100% control.

> Automagick?  Yes I want 
> automagick, wherever it can be used!  Other DTP programs used it, even
> early ones, so why is it taboo for Scribus?  Like I said I don't want
> LaTeX, I want a good gui with easy & powerful features!
>
> Page columns, text frame columns, why can't I have both?  Why can't I
> automatically create them from the menu for either or add more from the
> Properties box?  And shouldn't I be able to specify wheither they are
> linked there too?  Yes, of course, I should.

You are, just "think frames" and use the tools.

>
> Ok, so you do admit also it's unintuitive.

I admit it's not very polite to allege such things. It's very logical, once 
people have understood they are not using a word processor.

> Thanks for that, although 
> I'm sure you didn't mean to do that.  If you like programs that are
> difficult to use, more power to you, but I as many others prefer not to
> have to read through reams of paper or wiki or whatever just to start
> using a program with a good gui.  Put yourself in their place for a few
> moments, then you may be more objective about it all.

I have done it probably more often than you, and I can tell you that once the 
first hurdle (think different (tm), think frames) is cleared, people easily 
understand the use of $any_DTP_app, including Scribus.

>
> It seems there are still many features involving columns to come, as you
> point out, so I guess I just didn't understand where the program had
> progressed already.  I expected something else, something more I suppose
> at this version and was disappointed.  It's not the first time I've been
> disappointed nor will it be the last, I'll get over this disappointment
> too and continue to find things to fix or change in it.  :-)
>
> regards,
> Pat

Cheers,

Christoph