Re: Results of the SourceForge Community Award

[Matthew Lundin <mdl@imapmail.org>]

Raffi R <raffir@gmail.com> writes:

> That's an interesting point. I started using org-mode randomly,
> because I was writing an outline and didn't care for outline-mode and
> figured org-mode should be compatible. After I'd used it for a couple
> outlines, I found it could export to HTML. And LaTeX. And worked as a
> day planner...
>
> In terms of marketing within the Emacs community, it might be worth
> advertising it as an outline-mode replacement. Has anyone written a
> simple tutorial explaining how to use org-mode just in this way, and
> then providing a link to, say, the manual/Worg at the end? Most of the
> tutorials I've seen have been focused on org's time-management
> capabilities. But the ability to type up an outline, manage that
> outline, expand it into a document, and export it separately as a
> Beamer presentation with notes, a PDF, and a webpage are "killer app"
> functionality in their own right!

This is a very helpful discussion. I'm currently working on a tutorial
and screencast that highlights the outlining/publishing features of
org-mode that work without any customization ("org-mode out of the box,"
so to speak). I'll try to get it online as soon as I can.

I think GTD-fatigue is one of the major reasons that people might not be
aware of just how powerful and versatile org-mode is. My highly
unscientific conclusion is that many people think of it as one more
GTD/day-planner/time-management application, when, in fact, it could can
as a fully functional outliner, plain-text database, "word processor,"
spreadsheet, etc.

As evidence in support of your point, here's an article on "5 Linux
Outliners" from Linux.com (Oct. 2008) that only mentions Emacs outliner
in passing ("very basic," it says). Org-mode is conspicuous in its
absence:

http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/149401

Best,
Matt