Re: RTF for emacs

[Charles Philip Chan]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

Hi Emanuel:

> I never understood the Org-mode hype but it must be good as so many
> people talk about it. Is it like a one-to-many mapping so there is one
> Org-mode markup and then it gets you a website, a PDF, whatever, by
> generating HTML (and CSS), LaTeX, etc., as an in-between stage? Is
> that it?

Yes, it is a one to many mapping. However, publishing is only a small
part of org-mode. To quote from the introduction of the org-mode manual:

,----
| Org is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining TODO lists, and project
| planning with a fast and effective plain-text system. It also is an
| authoring system with unique support for literate programming and
| reproducible research.
| 
| Org is implemented on top of Outline mode, which makes it possible to
| keep the content of large files well structured. Visibility cycling and
| structure editing help to work with the tree. Tables are easily created
| with a built-in table editor. Plain text URL-like links connect to
| websites, emails, Usenet messages, BBDB entries, and any files related
| to the projects.
| 
| Org develops organizational tasks around notes files that contain lists
| or information about projects as plain text. Project planning and task
| management makes use of metadata which is part of an outline node. Based
| on this data, specific entries can be extracted in queries and create
| dynamic agenda views that also integrate the Emacs calendar and diary.
| Org can be used to implement many different project planning schemes,
| such as David Allen’s GTD system.
| 
| Org files can serve as a single source authoring system with export to
| many different formats such as HTML, L A TEX, Open Document, and
| Markdown. New export backends can be derived from existing ones, or
| defined from scratch.
| 
| Org files can include source code blocks, which makes Org uniquely
| suited for authoring technical documents with code examples. Org source
| code blocks are fully functional; they can be evaluated in place and
| their results can be captured in the file. This makes it possible to
| create a single file reproducible research compendium.
| 
| Org keeps simple things simple. When first fired up, it should feel like
| a straightforward, easy to use outliner. Complexity is not imposed, but
| a large amount of functionality is available when needed. Org is a
| toolbox. Many users usilize only a (very personal) fraction of Org’s
| capabilities, and know that there is more whenever they need it.
| 
| All of this is achieved with strictly plain text files, the most
| portable and future-proof file format. Org runs in Emacs. Emacs is one
| of the most widely ported programs, so that Org mode is available on
| every major platform.
`----

Here is a very abridged list of it's features:

     http://orgmode.org/features.html

or take a look at the manual itself:

   http://orgmode.org/org.html

The pdf version of the manual is 281 pages long!

> Or what is it? If it is, how can you trust it?  Won't you scratch your
> head all the time thinking, "can Org-mode really write as good
> HTML/LaTeX/whatever as I?"

Well try it out for yourself and see. There is very fine gain control of
publishing. For example, for LaTeX and pdf:

    http://orgmode.org/org.html#LaTeX-and-PDF-export

and for html:

    http://orgmode.org/org.html#HTML-export

etc.

Regards,
Charles

-- 
"I'd crawl over an acre of 'Visual This++' and 'Integrated Development
That' to get to gcc, Emacs, and gdb.  Thank you."
(By Vance Petree, Virginia Power)

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