Message-Id: <199401261759.AA12055@mail.cs.tu-berlin.de>
Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@DHDURZ1.BITNET>
Date:         Wed, 26 Jan 1994 11:26:43 CST
From: "George D. Greenwade" <bed_gdg@SHSU.EDU>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@DHDURZ1.BITNET>
To: Multiple recipients of list LATEX-L <LATEX-L@DHDURZ1.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: defaults in latex
Status: R

On Wed, 26 Jan 1994 08:41:46 -0500, bbeeton <BNB@MATH.AMS.ORG> posted:
> sebastian objects to the appearance of a plain "article" document on a4.
> well, from the other side of the pond, i similarly object to the appearance
> of a plain "article" document on u.s. lettersize paper.  there are just
> some people that you can't please, no matter what you do.  <smile>

Which I would agree with.  Just as Sebastian (and others -- just picking on
"Sebastian the Eurocentric" today 8-)) wants we yanks to use
\documentclass[lettersize]{...} as he uses \documentclass[a4]{...} (or
whatever) I think he misses the point.  The default dimensions are bogus
for everyone about equally.  I can't recall the last time I created a
routine LaTeX document which wasn't started with
\documentclass[fullpage]{...} -- nearly every routine LaTeX file I see from
authors in the world of 8.5*11 paper uses this or similar also.  The only
benefit from this equally bogus behavior is that it provides a ripe time to
teach newbies about style options.  However, if it makes anyone feel
better, use some known (a4 or a4wide or similar), but modifiable, size --
whatever it is.

--George