For one thing, no computer is as natural as pencil and paper. Placing a word in a certain location, writing in big letters or changing to script or Greek can be done almost without thinking when using a pencil, but all these actions require explicit commands when using a keyboard. It's difficult to build a system with easy-to-remember commands, in large part because ease of use depends upon personal preference. For many people, typing "center," or the command "ce" to center a line is easier than using special control keys, like "shift-F6." Of course, the word "center" appears on the screen in return for this convenience.

Another difference between YAFlYGI and WYSIWYG relates to the mechanics of writing and the differences among editors, formatters and full-featured word processors. Editors are programs that let you construct computer files. Formatters are programs that take computer files as input, rearrange the spacings, change...

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