Re: NB 8 (Trial version)

["William H. TeBrake" tebrake@xxxxxxxx]

Michael Norman wrote:

> Seconded. I've been saving Robert's NB posts these last two weeks,
> corrigenda-in-progress. XyWriters seem to prefer NB stripped down,
> stripped of its bibliographic and database modules, easy enough to do
> as RH's the old posts point out. Maybe the AUX routines can be edited
> to the point where the main WP will behave like XY -- lean, fast,
> utterly customizable. If someone does decide to prepare a
> customization guide, I volunteer as a proof-reader/beta
> tester/factotum. I think Mary Bernard helped write and edit the
> current NB help files, gratis. She knows a lot about the program and
> has been very generous with her time with this correspondent and many
> others on the NB list. She's also one of the few posters on the NB
> list who can and are willing to look under the hood. It's just a very
> different kind of listserv. True enough, NB NY really should have
> company-produced guides for such a complex product or an on-line
> knowledge base. Then again not only do their tech support people
> respond quickly, they actually know the product. Frankly, I'm
> delighted to have the program operating beside XY; witness the many
> struggles here recently to get it TAMEd.
>
> michael.norman@xxxxxxxx
>

As a long-time subscriber to both the NB and XY lists, I wish to
underline the point made by Michael Norman that the two lists really
do serve quite different purposes. The purpose of the NB list has
always been to support academic writing and that of the XY list to
support a remarkable piece of software. I, for one, would hate to
see the NB list change into something resembling the XY list. I need
them both. As an academic myself, I have profitted greatly from the
discussions about using NB (of course at core, XY) and especially its
integrated modules (Ibidem and Orbis) which are now rock solid and
really do work as advertised. Indeed, Ibidem and Orbis set NB off
from other word processors; that is where its true value lies, in my
opinion. While it may well be true that most NB members are woefully
ignorant of keyboard assignments and XPL routines, the NB list really
does help us publish so that we might not perish. On the other hand,
as someone who does like to "look under the hood" from time to time,
I have profitted as well from the incredible knowledge displayed by
members of this list, not only in satisfying my own curiosity but
also in helping me in my academic work.

Best,

Bill TeBrake
---
William H. TeBrake
Department of History        E-Mail: tebrake@xxxxxxxx
University of Maine      Telephone: (Int+1) 207-581-1914
Orono, Maine 04469-5774 USA    Fax: (Int+1) 207-581-1817