技术写作与文档2010oestrem.com
LaTeX、Word 与 Writer 之比较
LaTeX vs. Word vs. Writer
导读
这篇比较 LaTeX、Word 和 Writer 的排版效果，核心不在软件优劣，而在默认设置、格式与内容的关系。写作者可从中思考：好工具应让你专注文字，长文写作可用纯文本和版本控制管理。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
先信任成熟工具的默认样式，别一开始就调字体、页边距等细节，把精力留给内容。
- 02
警惕所见即所得环境带来的格式陷阱：排版越方便，越容易把时间花在调整外观而不是打磨文字。
- 03
把内容与格式分开，长文按章节拆分并用版本控制记录修改，比反复改一个大文件更清晰。
- 04
选工具看实际需求：日常写作 Word 往往够用，专业出版或长期存档再考虑 LaTeX 这类稳定方案。
HN 评论精选
LaTeX 的优势是精心调好的默认值，写作应避免过度排版。
作为有经验的 LaTeX 用户，我印象更深的不是 LaTeX 有多好，而是他用 Word 和 Writer 竟能做出如此出色的结果。不是 LaTeX 没打动我（它确实打动了），而是 Word/Writer 版本比默认样式好看太多。另外，他说 LaTeX 不过是“一套精心调好的默认值”完全正确。一般来说，动手大改 LaTeX 默认设置前要三思，因为 Knuth 已经调过，而且效果明显。也别陷入过度关注格式而非文本的陷阱，用所见即所得环境时很容易这样。LaTeX 里最小可用的“精调默认值”单位是 documentclass，这是有道理的——因为最终要产出的是文档，而不是给文本排版。
pmiller2查看英文原文
As an experienced LaTeX user, I was less impressed with how good LaTeX did than the spectacular results he was able to get out of Word and Writer. It isn't that LaTeX failed to impress (it did) -- I was just amazed at how much better the Word and Writer versions looked than the defaults. Also, his characterization of LaTeX as nothing more than "a set of finely tuned defaults" is absolutely correct. Generally speaking, one wants to think hard before starting to twiddle too much with the default settings in LaTeX, mostly because Knuth already did, and it shows. One also doesn't want to get caught up in the trap of paying more attention to formatting than the text, which is easy to do when using WYSIWYG environments. There's a good reason that the smallest unit of "finely tuned defaults" available in LaTeX is the documentclass -- because producing documents is ultimately what it's all about, not formatting text.
TeX 长期稳定，利于归档和可复现排版。
文章漏了 TeX 最大的优势：它不变。我能在今天打印 25 年前用 TeX 写的文档，除了打印技术外，排版结果仍和当年一样，精确到可见光波长。我还能修改后再打印，格式不丢。换成这期间各种所见即所得文字处理器和随机格式，就做不到。不只是文字处理格式，postscript/pdf 等打印格式也如此（本帖里就有人说今年生成的 PDF 一人能打印、另一人打印不正确）。这对需要归档文档的人很重要，学术界常如此。
btilly查看英文原文
The article missed the biggest advantage of TeX. The fact that it doesn't change. I can take a document written any time in the last 25 years in TeX and print it today. It will still print the same way that it did then, modulo available printing technology, down to the visible wavelength of light. I can then tweak it and print the edited version, without any loss of formatting. Using WYSIWYG word processors and random formats that have existed over that time, not so much. It isn't just word processing formats. The same is also not true of other printing formats such as postscript and pdf. (Witness in this thread how pdf documents that printed fine for one person not printing correctly for another. That with a pdf created this year.) This trait is very important for anyone who needs to archive documents. Such as happens all of the time in academia...
工具按使用强度选，Word 对多数日常写作足够好。
LaTeX 真的很好，好到对不常写或读书籍论文、也不期待出版级质量的普通人来说有点过头。残酷事实是，对几乎任何事 Word 都足够好。就像买便宜电钻一年用两次，可能一辈子不坏，你也不必知道专业电钻好在哪；除非你是发烧友想用最好的电钻打 100 个孔，或每天打 100 个孔的专业人士。
yason查看英文原文
LaTeX is really, really good. In fact, it's too good for the common people who don't spend a lot of time writing and/or reading books and publications, and instead spend their time not expecting publishing quality. The sad truth is that Word is more than good enough for almost anything. If you buy a cheap power drill and you use it maybe twice a year, it still probably lasts your whole life and you really don't even need to know why a professional power drill might be much better. Unless, that is, you're a hi-fi junkie and want to do your 100 holes with the best drill you can find, or you're a professional who drills 100 holes a day.
长文拆分章节并用版本控制，便于追踪修改。
我用 LaTeX 写硕士论文。原因之一是它能很容易接入 git，局部修改会出现在源代码控制里，也容易打标签。不用改一个巨大的 Word/OO 文档，而是把一章放在一个 partial 里，只改那个文件。所有改动也能被导师追踪，挺容易。
beilabs查看英文原文
I've been using LaTeX to write my MSc thesis. Anyhow, one of the reasons I used is was that it could be plugged into git quite easily, changes to partials would appear in the source control and could easily be tagged. Instead of changing one huge word or OO document, place a chapter in a partial and only change that one file. All changes could also be tracked by my lecturer. Quite easy tbh.
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